Trapped in my mobility: how a principle of "control over communicative interaction" can guide privacy by design in mobile ecosystems

Abstract

In the wake of the quick penetration of mobile devices into the everyday lives of individuals, protection of privacy in mobile ecosystems has become a hot button issue. Existing regulatory efforts on mobile privacy primarily focus on protection of the informational privacy of individuals. While necessary, focusing solely on informational privacy may not be sufficient in terms of protecting users’ privacy in mobile environments. The chapter discusses the privacy implications of design architectures and economic arrangements in the mobile ecosystems and argues that mobile environments create privacy-threatening “sticky” relationships that make it increasingly difficult for individuals not only to control flow of information about themselves, but also flow of communication that targets them. This chapter argues that an important supplement to protecting users’ privacy is to restore users’ control over the communicative interaction with the companies seeking to target them. To that purpose, the chapter offers a set of principles, called “home mode” for mobile privacy, in implementing remedies for threats to privacy in mobile environments.