Data Privacy
Digital technologies have fundamentally transformed how we share personal data, challenging long-standing privacy norms and raising urgent questions about data protection in the modern age. While sharing personal data has become increasingly normalized, from social media interactions to workplace surveillance, we lack a clear understanding of how privacy norms should evolve to address these changes. This project investigates the social norms governing data sharing through the lens of contextual integrity, combining philosophical analysis with empirical research.
The research explores two critical dimensions of modern privacy norms. First, it examines how individuals navigate data-sharing decisions across different contexts, from health data to location tracking, revealing that people become more selective and thoughtful about sharing data after group deliberation. Through experimental studies using interactive games and vignette methodologies, the work demonstrates that social deliberation can help restore sensitivity to privacy considerations that may be eroded through constant data-sharing demands.
Second, the project breaks new ground by investigating the specific privacy challenges posed by neurotechnology - an emerging field that enables unprecedented access to mental data. As brain-computer interfaces and other neurotechnologies become more prevalent, understanding how to protect mental privacy while enabling beneficial uses of neural data has become crucial. By applying the contextual integrity framework to this domain, the research aims to develop ethical guidelines for neurotechnology that respect both individual privacy rights and collective benefits.
This work addresses a critical gap in privacy research by moving beyond individual privacy preferences to examine how social norms and collective deliberation shape data-sharing practices. The findings suggest that participatory approaches, where people discuss and negotiate privacy boundaries together, may be key to developing more nuanced and effective privacy protections for the digital age.
Articles
Longin, L., Briceno, D. M., & Poquet, O. (2024). The Power of Conversation: Learners Become More Cautious Sharing Learning Data after a Group Discussion. Pre-print.