Abstract
The use of Internet of Things devices (IoT) by individuals in their homes has led to new opportunities for companies, to adapt their products, services and offers, based on the user profile. At the same time, these new services involve the reinterpretation of existing requirements regarding data protection, especially in terms of the ethics of using data and the security of personal data. The paper analyses in the scientific literature the intrusiveness generated by aggregations of personal data, the responsibility for data protection and user's perception of these issues. It presents further the results of a quantitative research on 183 respondents of all genders and working in different sectors of activity, with the aim of assessing the perception of intrusiveness and data protection in the use of their smart devices, with potential for IoT home interconnection. The results provide a new perspective on how smart device users relate to key issues from European data protection legislation. The study shows that there are differences explained by gender, age and parental status in the perception of intrusiveness and responsibilities for ensuring the security of aggregated data through IoT solutions. The results also show that accessing certain types of data is perceived as being more intrusive than others, and that respondents rely on other users' reviews to learn how data protection is provided through the IoT device.
Highlights
Internet of Things (IoT) solutions can be used in various areas, from industrial ones, to those in the public interest and individual ones, such as smart homes (Maayan, 2020)
The Mann Whitney test applied to the independent variables “video/audio personal data” and “data about the usage habits of IoT devices” indicates a difference between the medians, with the majority of respondents considering more intrusive the access to audio/video personal data than the access to data about the habits of using their IoT devices
There is a need for a clear delimitation between the aggregation of personal data to improve the functionality and security of IoT solutions and the intrusion into the lives of individuals for the benefit of other entities
Summary
IoT solutions can be used in various areas, from industrial ones (e.g. factories, agriculture, producing and distributing energy), to those in the public interest (e.g. smart cities, smart and interconnected vehicles) and individual ones, such as smart homes (Maayan, 2020). The use of smart devices with the potential of interconnection within IoT networks has increased (Statista, 2021). This rise has been noticed both for businesses, approximatively 34% of them using IoT solutions in 2019 (Vodafone, 2019), and for individuals (Maple, 2017). An IoT device is “smart” through its hardware part, and through its software part that can communicate and interact with the external environment, with other IoT devices or with the general management of the IoT device network (Dorsenmaine et al, 2015)
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