Exploring bystanders’ privacy concerns with smart homes in Jordan

Thesis

The proliferation of smart home devices has raised many privacy concerns among smart home inhabitants. Previous research has mostly focused on family members and device owners in Western contexts (i.e., Europe and North America). In contrast, this research study examines the Muslim Arab Middle Eastern (MAME) context of Jordan to investigate how different cultural, social, and religious norms affect privacy concerns and practices in smart homes in Jordan.

Our research starts with a literature review of the privacy concerns of bystanders in smart homes -- individuals who are subjected to the smart device use of others -- identifying several gaps in this area. Our studies seek to understand the privacy concerns and expectations of smart home bystanders and households in Jordan, with a particular focus on domestic workers. We explore legal and regulatory perspectives on privacy protection and how these relate to the tensions that may arise between households and their domestic workers. We also examine the complex power dynamics between domestic workers and households, particularly in spaces that function as both a residence and a workplace. This dual-use of smart homes has created gaps in workplace protections that favor households. Finally, we explore smart device design challenges for privacy protection, and we assess how a co-designed mobile application can be used as an auxiliary tool to support privacy protection of bystanders in Jordanian smart homes.

Ultimately, the outcomes of this thesis contribute to addressing the complex and intricate issues that arise from the use of smart technology in households that employ domestic workers. We anticipate that our findings will not only inform future research and offer recommendations for social interventions but also facilitate the improvement of privacy protection measures by informing smart device design and influencing the development of policies and regulations that offer better support for the privacy protection in smart homes. It is crucial to stress that collaborative interventions are essential from all stakeholders.

Authors: AlBayaydh, W

• Alternative title: Thesis about exploring bystanders’ privacy concerns with smart homes in Jordan
• DOI: 10.5287/ora-z548oooxn
• Type of award: DPhil
• Level of award: Doctoral
• Awarding institution: University of Oxford
• Language: English
• Keywords: data regulation; smart devices; bystanders; smart home; Muslim; security; power dynamics; Middle East; data protection; privacy; Jordan
• Subjects: Privacy; Bystander effect; Cyber intelligence (Computer security); Design and technology; Data privacy; Human-computer interaction; Privacy, Right of; Data protection; Technology; Ethics; Cross-cultural studies; Home automation; Women foreign workers