Privacy in the VGI generated world: does keeping privacy mean missing out?
Ian Hawkins, Student #3419884, Distributed Mapping (GEOM2142 - Postgrad)
Abstract
I'm not quite sure whether being spatially identifiable, having my whereabouts known, locatable or 'followed digitally' is as feared as revealing a drunken facebook pic or twitter following an unpopular politician. I (and most other people) stage manage and manicure my online profiles to the point where they only represent a character I portray. In this age, my co-ordinates might be the only true undeniable artefacts I leave behind. My 'cave drawing' may actually be points making up the route that I took from one shopping centre to another. Does the constant capture and request of my co-ordinates by so many apps (fast becoming the major interaction method between myself, government, business and society) needed to generate VGI constitute a threat to my lifestyle and if so, will opting out (where possible) mean losing opportunities in the technological age? and am I the only one concerned?
Contents
1. Introduction
2. Reasons for rejection of VGI due to privacy.
3. Reasons for acceptance of VGI despite privacy concerns.
4. Conclusion
1. Introduction
Some definitions so that I can wrap my head around the concepts:
Privacy: is the ability of an individual or group to seclude themselves, or
information about themselves, and thereby express themselves selectively.
Volunteered Geographic Information: the popular practice of observing, collecting, and producing geographic information by those who have no formal training in geospatial data collection and analysis (4 - Goodchild 2007). "These people can now contribute to the production of near real-time production of geospatial information in times of crisis, as well as contribute to our understanding of environmental and health hazards." (2) Blatt
Australian Privacy Principles - courtesy of the office of the Australian Information Commissioner.(i)
Anonymity and pseudonymity
"Where lawful and practicable, individuals must have the option of not
identifying themselves when entering transactions with an organisation. Individuals must have the option of not identifying
themselves or of using a pseudonym when dealing with an organisation."
Sounds great, problem solved - I read the above to mean someone needs a court order to find out exactly where I am and where I've been. But wait, does my technological provider of choice (Apple) see fit to comply in their terms and conditions? (which very few people have time or thought to read extensively) (iii)
"To provide location-based services on Apple products, Apple and our
partners and licensees may collect, use, and share precise location
data, including the real-time geographic location of your Apple computer
or device.You may withdraw this consent at any time by not using the location-based features " (ii)
There are many examples of flouting of privacy by corporations. Google street view never asked all featured people and homeowners whether the locations could be captured at the time the camera rolled down the street. The governmental response to this was to attempt to have google disclose where they would be collecting images in advance, prior to the act of collecting (iiii). This smacks of a manufactured legitimacy between government and business as in practicality very few people would access this regularly via webpage or subscribe to alerts and it doesn't hold the organisation's community responsibility to account in the way that a utility might when forced to mail letters to all those affected by an outage. It also excludes the still sizable amount of people without internet access or technological nous.
Privacy is only given a tangible value after it's loss allows negative impact to an individual and it has been proven to a court. Laws are invariably behind the times in terms of application to technological practices however the focus of new laws/law changes can either look at trying to ban organisations from illegally collecting locational data OR attempting to protect the citizen from being negatively impacted by the use of the knowledge gained. VGI and open locational data could be viewed as a negative by the public (highlighted through various media channels) if the impacts can be shown to allow stalking, cyber-stalking, identity theft and property loss to flourish. The perpetrators of such acts may also be easier to find because of the same technology and practices.
3. Reasons for Acceptance of VGI despite lack of privacy
"In a digital age, with exponentially increasing volumes of information captured and communicated, attempting to safeguard information privacy can appear a futile endeavor."(1) Duckham
One aspect to consider is the collection of data by NSA and other intelligence agencies, people are becoming conditioned to the idea that information privacy can always be overriden in the name of 'national security'. All phone calls on mobile networks are already 'triangulated' to find location and saved on servers. In this context and the societal trend for 'oversharing' on facebook (especially by young people) is seen as the norm and 'check-ins' to show off the locations visited are considered part of this millenial life.
"residents of a neighborhood are inherently experts in the local area" (4) Goodchild
I always talked with friends about how local suburb and place names don't match the landmarks used when giving directions or talking about local sites. If I was mentioning a place on twitter and used a referential hashtag this is immediate context and something that could be used to make a decision rather than just a set of co-ordinates. I'm sure #crashoutsidecoles and a geocoded pic of the road chaos would convince me of the potential delays from the traffic jam and get me to seek alternative routes more than a point on a map.
"The last decade brought the development of a considerable number of geospatial web platforms that aim at enabling citizen participation in the management of their living environment. These platforms
mainly call local governments’ attention to problems regarding the provision of public services, issues related to security, and (public) transportation issues or the environment" (e.g. FixMyStreet (http://www.fixmystreet.com/) (3) Atzmanstorfer
I see local activism as suggested above as an ideal way to communicate with all levels of government. Working in public service myself I know that departments respond to data. The ready creation of locational datasets (for examples clusters of potholes) actually will make the job of councils easier - the public (identified ones) has already done the intelligence work and corroboration from multiple submitters is a type of verification and also. These submissions if provided anonymously would lose their reliability. The ability to 'citizen report' as well as contribute geographic information is useful for civilians and leaves a positive impression on others - another acceptance of VGI.
Lastly, the ability for apps to provide 'opt-in' privacy settings has a feel-good factor. Example being flickr has for more than 5 years given the ability for photos taken in certain locations drawn on a proprietary map within the site to become visible at certain user-defined levels (self only, family, friends, public). This gives people a sense that they can use the locational benefits (even if in Flickr it may amount to a map of one's travels) and block off the privacy concerns on a case by case basis. Elwood et al (7) spoke of agent centred remedies for privacy and the above example fits this mould. The other alternative being technological remedies (be they fuzzing/munging of identifying information or altering the spatial scale to the point where places and people aren't identifiable) which doesn't to my mind sate the public's appetite for genuine representations of our environments.
4. Conclusion
“These signals can make products much more useful – by enabling public
transport authorities to show you when a bus is expected to arrive at
your nearest bus stop, for example,” (iiii) True customisation of app experiences can only occur when access to our own data (including location) is used instead of guesses.
In conclusion, I expect that a new reality will exist shortly where my whereabouts is known by many. I want to leverage these social and technological changes to enhance, extend and accompany my life. I want to map my movements and feed and compare my choices (especially fitness related) with others. Rejection of VGI is unlikely on Privacy grounds by the public at large. Perhaps a youthful, optimistic view but one that those born today will no doubt live under (else very quickly become jaded and move their offline and online presences to exist in 'alternative' and 'underground' circles).
i http://www.oaic.gov.au/privacy/privacy-resources/privacy-guides/australian-privacy-principles-and-national-privacy-principles-comparison-guide#s10
ii http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/06/22/apple_location_terms_and_conditions/
iii http://www.itnews.com.au/news/apple-users-consented-to-iphone-spying-app-255306#ixzz3oRvhGODY
iiii http://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2011/09/13/europes-war-on-google-means-more-privacy-for-everyone/
1. AAG International Encyclopedia of Geography, Entry: Confidentiality, Matt Duckham
2. Amy J. Blatt (2015) The Benefits and Risks of Volunteered
Geographic Information, Journal of Map & Geography Libraries, 11:1, 99-104
3. Karl Atzmanstorfer, Richard Resl, Anton Eitzinger & Xiomara Izurieta
(2014) The GeoCitizen-approach: community-based spatial planning – an Ecuadorian
case study, Cartography and Geographic Information Science, 41:3, 248-259, DOI:
4. Michael F. Goodchild Commentary: whither VGI? GeoJournal (2008) 72:239–244
5. Teresa Scassa: Legal issues with volunteered geographic information. The Canadian Geographer / Le G´eographe canadien 2013, 57(1): 1–10
6. Privacy, reconsidered: New representations, data practices, and the geoweb
Sarah Elwood, Agnieszka Leszczynski
7. Crowdsourcing Geographic Knowledge
Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) in Theory and Practice, Sui, Daniel, Elwood, Sarah, Goodchild, Michael
