Contesting AI in smart devices
Smart home devices offer convenience but pose significant privacy risks due to opaque data practices. Many users remain unaware of these dangers. This project aimed to empower users through education by creating a website, interactive workshops, and teaching materials to raise awareness about data transparency and privacy in SHDs. Focused on young audiences and families, the resources combine accessible information with practical tools to encourage informed decision-making and responsible technology use.
Findings
The group summarised 4 reports and conducted brainstorming sessions to focus on awareness of privacy risks related to smart home devices. Through their designs of the various interventions, and conducting a research survey, they found:
Limited User Awareness: Users often lack awareness about the privacy risks posed by smart home devices, focusing more on their convenience and benefits.
Transparency Issues: Smart home devices are often opaque about their data collection, sharing, and storage practices, leaving users uninformed about potential risks.
Effective Learning Methods: Combining interactive workshops with digital resources like a website and teaching material enhances engagement and understanding of these risks, and promotes further discussion.
Workshop Impact: Activities highlighting privacy concerns were effective in changing perceptions and sparking discussions.
Recommendations
The project recommends that the educational resources produced, especially the presentation slides, could be further developed to create a longer and more detailed course. The website produced could also be worked on further, or just advertised more within Oslomet. The website could also be used as a basis for more user testing. A key element in design was to make sure these resources could be updated after the project period, to ensure information is as relevant as possible.
Take a look at the full project here!