NSF Org:	CNS Division Of Computer and Network Systems
Recipient:	VIRGINIA POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE & STATE UNIVERSITY
Initial Amendment Date:	October 11, 2023
Latest Amendment Date:	October 11, 2023
Award Number:	2341187
Award Instrument:	Standard Grant
Program Manager:	Sara Kiesler skiesler@nsf.gov  (703)292-8643 CNS  Division Of Computer and Network Systems CSE  Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering
Start Date:	October 1, 2023
End Date:	June 30, 2026 (Estimated)
Total Intended Award Amount:	$163,132.00
Total Awarded Amount to Date:	$163,132.00
Funds Obligated to Date:	FY 2023 = $163,132.00
History of Investigator:	Yaxing Yao (Principal Investigator) yaxing@vt.edu
Recipient Sponsored Research Office:	Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University 300 TURNER ST NW BLACKSBURG VA  US  24060-3359 (540)231-5281
Sponsor Congressional District:	09
Primary Place of Performance:	Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University 620 Drillfield Dr, BLACKSBURG VA  US  24060-3359
Primary Place of Performance Congressional District:	09
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI):	QDE5UHE5XD16
Parent UEI:	X6KEFGLHSJX7
NSF Program(s):	Secure &Trustworthy Cyberspace
Primary Program Source:	01002324DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
Program Reference Code(s):	025Z, 7923
Program Element Code(s):	806000
Award Agency Code:	4900
Fund Agency Code:	4900
Assistance Listing Number(s):	47.070

ABSTRACT

Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices are increasingly used in shared spaces (e.g., homes, apartments, schools, hospitals, workplaces, and cities), turning these spaces into smart environments. Different stakeholders in these environments, including both direct users of smart devices and non-users such as visitors or bystanders, have unique privacy needs and expectations. Although prior research shows evidence of conflicts among stakeholders, there has been less investigation regarding how stakeholders resolve such conflicts and negotiate their privacy options. This interdisciplinary project is investigating different stakeholders? privacy negotiation behaviors in smart environments by designing, developing, and deploying an interactive system to collect people?s real-world privacy negotiation behaviors. The project is contributing solutions that help people manage and negotiate their privacy in various smart environments, especially when their privacy needs conflict with others?. The results will also inform privacy negotiations within other emerging technologies (e.g., virtual reality and the metaverse).


This project moves beyond the lab setting to investigate and support stakeholders? privacy negotiation behaviors in real-world smart environments. To do this, the project team is identifying contextual factors that lead to privacy concerns across multiple stakeholder groups and complex smart environments through the lens of privacy as ?contextual integrity?. It is capturing stakeholders? privacy negotiation behaviors in the real world by iteratively designing and implementing a tool that collects data on smart environmental contexts and privacy negotiation behaviors in real-world smart environments. Finally, it is developing a data-driven approach to support privacy negotiations in the real-world and evaluating its long-term impact on different stakeholder groups through field studies. The team is facilitating the future extension of this work to other new technologies by publicly sharing the anonymized dataset collected using the developed system, features of the project?s machine learning models, and a working prototype of the system.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

Please report errors in award information by writing to: awardsearch@nsf.gov.