research-article

Usability versus privacy instead of usable privacy: Google's balancing act between usability and privacy

Authors:

Melanie Volkamer,

Karen RenaudAuthors Info & Claims

ACM SIGCAS Computers and Society, Volume 45, Issue 1

Pages 16 - 21

https://doi.org/10.1145/2738210.2738214

Published: 19 February 2015 Publication History

Abstract

A smartphone is an indispensible device that also holds a great deal of personal and private data. Contact details, party or holiday photos and emails --- all carried around in our pockets and easily lost. On Android, the most widely-used smartphone operating system, access to this data is regulated by permissions. Apps request these permissions at installation, and they ideally only ask for permission to access data they really need to carry out their functions. The user is expected to check, and grant, requested permissions before installing the app. Their privacy can potentially be violated if they fail to check the permissions carefully. In June 2014 Google changed the Android permission screen, perhaps attempting to improve its usability. Does this mean that all is well in the Android eco-system, or was this update a retrograde move? This article discusses the new permission screen and its possible implications for smartphone owner privacy.

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Cited By

Bou Abdo JZeadally S(2024)Disposable identities: Solving web trackingJournal of Information Security and Applications10.1016/j.jisa.2024.10382184(103821)Online publication date: Aug-2024
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jisa.2024.103821
Pins DWalther MKrüger JStevens GKrauss VAmirkhani S(2024)Digitaler VerbraucherschutzVerbraucherinformatik10.1007/978-3-662-68706-2_4(135-201)Online publication date: 25-Mar-2024
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-68706-2_4
Bemmann F(2023)User-Centered Privacy to Improve User Quantification using Smartphone SensingProceedings of the 25th International Conference on Mobile Human-Computer Interaction10.1145/3565066.3609737(1-4)Online publication date: 26-Sep-2023
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3565066.3609737
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Index Terms

Usability versus privacy instead of usable privacy: Google's balancing act between usability and privacy
1. Applied computing
  1. Computers in other domains
    1. Personal computers and PC applications
2. Social and professional topics

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Published In

cover image ACM SIGCAS Computers and Society

ACM SIGCAS Computers and Society Volume 45, Issue 1

February 2015

39 pages

ISSN:0095-2737

DOI:10.1145/2738210

Editors:
Vaibhav Garg,
Dee Weikle

Issue’s Table of Contents

Copyright © 2015 Authors.

Publisher

Association for Computing Machinery

New York, NY, United States

Publication History

Published: 19 February 2015

Published in SIGCAS Volume 45, Issue 1

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Cited By

Bou Abdo JZeadally S(2024)Disposable identities: Solving web trackingJournal of Information Security and Applications10.1016/j.jisa.2024.10382184(103821)Online publication date: Aug-2024
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jisa.2024.103821
Pins DWalther MKrüger JStevens GKrauss VAmirkhani S(2024)Digitaler VerbraucherschutzVerbraucherinformatik10.1007/978-3-662-68706-2_4(135-201)Online publication date: 25-Mar-2024
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-68706-2_4
Bemmann F(2023)User-Centered Privacy to Improve User Quantification using Smartphone SensingProceedings of the 25th International Conference on Mobile Human-Computer Interaction10.1145/3565066.3609737(1-4)Online publication date: 26-Sep-2023
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3565066.3609737
Palanque P(2023)Going Beyond Usability and UX: Adding Dependability, Safety and Security to Interactive Systems and Interactive TechnologiesExtended Abstracts of the 2023 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3544549.3574186(1-3)Online publication date: 19-Apr-2023
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3544549.3574186
Bemmann FWindl MErbe JMayer SHussmann H(2022)The Influence of Transparency and Control on the Willingness of Data Sharing in Adaptive Mobile AppsProceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction10.1145/35467246:MHCI(1-26)Online publication date: 20-Sep-2022
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Jakobi TAlizadeh FMarburger MStevens G(2021)A Consumer Perspective on Privacy Risk Awareness of Connected Car Data UseProceedings of Mensch und Computer 202110.1145/3473856.3473891(294-302)Online publication date: 5-Sep-2021
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Fehlhaber A(2019)Sicherheitsempfinden in der DigitalitätACC Journal10.15240/tul/004/2019-3-00525:3(63-69)Online publication date: 31-Dec-2019
https://doi.org/10.15240/tul/004/2019-3-005
Till SDensmore Mde Villiers CSmuts H(2019)A Characterization of Digital Native Approaches To Mobile Privacy and SecurityProceedings of the South African Institute of Computer Scientists and Information Technologists 201910.1145/3351108.3351131(1-9)Online publication date: 17-Sep-2019
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Jakobi TPatil SRandall DStevens GWulf V(2019)It Is About What They Could Do with the DataACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction10.1145/328144426:1(1-44)Online publication date: 30-Jan-2019
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Liu YSong TLiao L(2019)TPII: tracking personally identifiable information via user behaviors in HTTP trafficFrontiers of Computer Science: Selected Publications from Chinese Universities10.1007/s11704-018-7451-z14:3Online publication date: 19-Dec-2019
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