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“I Simply Accept the Terms and Conditions so that I Can Use an App at All”: Smartphone Use and Privacy Among Older Adults in Switzerland

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HCI International 2023 – Late Breaking Papers (HCII 2023)

Abstract

Digitalization and ageing population are two of the main trends of the 21st century. Most people, including older adults, are now digitally connected to the world for e.g., managing health and finances and this has become indispensable parts of our lives. A device like a smartphone is easily at hand and ready to use anytime, anywhere. However, this widespread usage produces huge amounts of data, which is not without risks, especially for older users in terms of data protection and privacy. This paper investigates behaviours, attitudes, and experiences regarding privacy settings and take a closer look at the phenomenon of resignation and the privacy paradox within the research project Easierphone. Easierphone app Easierphone aims to simplify smartphone use for older adults and other vulnerable people by replacing the Android surface with an easier one. For data collection, 30 qualitative interviews and diaries were used during installation and testing of the app. Regarding privacy and data protection, most of our participants stated that they generally do not read the terms of use in the digital world carefully. Nonetheless, they still agree to them, so they can use an app or a digital service which clearly illustrates the privacy paradox.

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Acknowledgements

We thank all older participants and their tandem partners without whom we could not have undertaken this research, we would like to extend our sincere thanks for their openness, interest, and valuable time in all interviews in pilot 1 and 2. Further, we thank the European AAL Programme (EU Active Assisted Living Programme) for funding this research project.

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Speck, S., Pauli, C., Ursprung, C., Wallimann, M., Huber, R., Misoch, S. (2023). “I Simply Accept the Terms and Conditions so that I Can Use an App at All”: Smartphone Use and Privacy Among Older Adults in Switzerland. In: Gao, Q., Zhou, J., Duffy, V.G., Antona, M., Stephanidis, C. (eds) HCI International 2023 – Late Breaking Papers. HCII 2023. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 14055. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-48041-6_14

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-48041-6_14

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