Data privacy, collection, and use practices now are commonplace in most technology devices or services, but policies are still far from homogeneous or easy to understand. Legal jargon is pervasive in most policies, many consumers don’t read them, or if they’ve tried, they can’t understand them anyway. Online services rarely offer nuanced negotiation of privacy preferences. Users must either opt-in and fully accept the terms in a privacy policy or opt-out and abstain from using the service. This binary approach leaves many consumers wanting a new option – one that would allow them to express nuanced preferences and use only the parts of the service that conform to their preferences.
Consumer-facing privacy is an area of research underway across many centers and labs at Georgia Tech. How can we evaluate and develop new privacy-sensitive approaches that meet the expectations of individuals and regulators? What should a privacy-forward organization do to demonstrate best practices and separate itself from the pack with a competitive edge? Researchers at Georgia Tech assist practitioners and policy makers in meeting the challenge of expressing consumer-facing privacy in new ways that align with governance and create customer wishes.
Research Updates & News
Jan. 16, 2018
Clothing companies now see body measurements as one of their most prized currencies -- data which Peter Swire says would be treated as personally identifiable and protected information in a healthcare setting, but usually is not by retailers.
Nov. 16, 2017
Peter Swire explains to Fox 5 Washington, D.C., the growth of inconspicuous surveillance cameras and how individuals should protect themselves.
Oct. 17, 2017
Krebs On Security talks to Peter Swire about the need for two-factor authentication as part of "Informed Delivery" by the U.S. Postal Service.
May 15, 2017
Peter Swire explains parental rights under the COPPA law that serves to protect children from being unknowingly recorded by their toys.
Apr. 13, 2017
First-year Ph.D. Student Marie Le Pichon presents privacy, security, and compliance challenges faced by university researchers and ethics review boards when working on data science projects. Her work was one of five cybersecurity research projects to be presented before business leaders in the 2017 Demo Day Finale.
May 11, 2016
New Research Project to Develop Big Data Protection Protocol for the Cloud
Researchers have been awarded a $1.19 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to devise privacy protection protocols for big data cloud computing throughout all phases of data processing. Known as PrivacyGuard, the project is a first step toward establishing a practical way of ensuring end-to-end privacy for big data computations.
Feb. 22, 2016
Research Paper: "Price of Free: Privacy Leakage in Personalized Mobile In-App Ads"
When in-app advertising leaks potentially sensitive user information to ad networks and mobile app developers, the personal information of millions of smartphone users is at risk, according to a new study by students at the School of Computer Science under the direction of Professor Wenke Lee.
