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Privacy, Safety, and Security in Extended Reality: User Experience Challenges for Neurodiverse Users

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HCI for Cybersecurity, Privacy and Trust (HCII 2023)

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Abstract

Neurodevelopmental disorders are a group of disorders that affect the development of the nervous system, leading to abnormal brain function, which may affect emotion, learning ability, self-control, and memory. Such disorders include Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Autism Spectrum Disorder, specific learning disorders such as dyslexia, traumatic brain injury, and others. The effects of neurodiversity tend to last for a person’s lifetime. Neurodiversity (ND) has recently become a serious topic in cybersecurity because the perceived skills shortage has opened the door for ND candidates. However, ND introduces some cybersecurity challenges. For instance, in the educational domain, a minor manipulation of an online quiz design can have significant implications on the ability of students with ADHD to answer correctly. This type of manipulation can become a major vulnerability that can be exploited by skilled attackers and lead to a serious human-targeted Cyber-Physical System attack. Although the research community has dedicated significant research towards accessibility in the XR realm, there is still not a fair and adequate amount of research concerning potential immersive threats affecting neurodiverse users in XR. We need to shed light on a need for a revision in our collective understanding of risks brought on by XR technology.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, 24060, USA

    David Jones, Shiva Ghasemi & Denis Gračanin

  2. Virginia Military Institute, Lexington, VA, 24459, USA

    Mohamed Azab

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Jones, D., Ghasemi, S., Gračanin, D., Azab, M. (2023). Privacy, Safety, and Security in Extended Reality: User Experience Challenges for Neurodiverse Users. In: Moallem, A. (eds) HCI for Cybersecurity, Privacy and Trust. HCII 2023. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 14045. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-35822-7_33

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