Context Privacy and Obfuscation Supported by Dynamic Context Source Discovery and Processing in a Context Management System

Abstract

The extensive context information collection abilities of ubiquitous computing environments represent a significant threat to user privacy. In this paper we address this threat by introducing a context information privacy mechanism. Our approach relies on context-dependent ownership definitions and context owner-specified privacy preferences to control context disclosure to third-parties. These privacy preferences enable context owners to stipulate not only to whom their context information can be disclosed and the conditions of disclosure, but also the level of detail at which the context information can be disclosed. Context information that cannot be disclosed at its existing level of detail is obfuscated to meet detail level requirements stipulated by its owner. To achieve this obfuscation of context information we introduce a new approach based on dynamic discovery and processing of context sources. Our new approach is demonstrated in a Context Management System in which context source discovery and processing is facilitated by the SensorML sensor description standard being developed by the Open Geospatial Consortium.