It's the Company, the Government, You and I: User Perceptions of Responsibility for Smart Home Privacy and Security

Published

September 25, 2020

Author(s)

Julie M. Haney, Yasemin Acar, Susanne M. Furman

Abstract

Smart home technology exposes adopters to increased risk to network security, information privacy, and physical safety. However, users may lack understanding of the privacy and security implications. Additionally, manufacturers often fail to provide transparency and configuration options, and few government-provided guidelines have been widely adopted. This results in little meaningful mitigation action to protect users' security and privacy. But how can this situation be improved and by whom? It is currently unclear where perceived responsibility for smart home privacy and security lies. To address this gap, we conducted an in-depth interview study of 40 smart home adopters to explore where they assign responsibility and how their perceptions of responsibility relate to their concerns and mitigations. Results reveal that participants' perceptions of responsibility reflect an interdependent relationship between consumers, manufacturers, and government/third parties. However, perceived breakdowns and gaps in the relationship result in users being concerned about their security and privacy. Based on our results, we suggest ways in which these actors can address gaps and better support each other.

Proceedings Title

30th USENIX Security Symposium

Conference Dates

August 11-13, 2021

Conference Location

Vancouver

Conference Title

USENIX Security 2021

Pub Type

Conferences

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Keywords

cybersecurity, privacy, usability, smart homes, internet of things

Citation

Haney, J. , Acar, Y. and Furman, S. (2020), It's the Company, the Government, You and I: User Perceptions of Responsibility for Smart Home Privacy and Security, 30th USENIX Security Symposium, Vancouver, -1, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=930855 (Accessed October 11, 2024)