MAGNETO: Edge AI for Human Activity Recognition -- Privacy and Personalization

Human activity recognition (HAR) is a well-established field, significantly advanced by modern machine learning (ML) techniques. While companies have successfully integrated HAR into consumer products, they typically rely on a predefined activity set, which limits personalizations at the user level (edge devices). Despite advancements in Incremental Learning for updating models with new data, this often occurs on the Cloud, necessitating regular data transfers between cloud and edge devices, thus leading to data privacy issues. In this paper, we propose MAGNETO, an Edge AI platform that pushes HAR tasks from the Cloud to the Edge. MAGNETO allows incremental human activity learning directly on the Edge devices, without any data exchange with the Cloud. This enables strong privacy guarantees, low processing latency, and a high degree of personalization for users. In particular, we demonstrate MAGNETO in an Android device, validating the whole pipeline from data collection to result visualization.Comment: Accepted by EDBT 2024 (demo track

Future Digital Advertising Trends: Finding a Balance Between Privacy and Personalization

As consumers spend more and more time online and using mobile devices, they leave an extensive data trail that can be captured; that information can be used to their benefit but might also be perceived as invasive. Technology advancements, such as data mining, are becoming more sophisticated and are delivering detailed personal information to the advertiser. Retailers, both off and online, such as Target, Safeway, and Amazon, will be inclined to maximize their sales by manipulating the data and targeting individuals. This has not always been the case—in the last twenty years advertising has shifted dramatically with the advent of the Internet and has shown some ability to take advantage of the information so far; this trend will continue exponentially over the next decade. The advertisers, capable of collecting vast amounts of data over a wide range of activities with the help of a middleman such as Google, will need to resist the short-term appeal of over personalization in favor of respecting the privacy—perceived or real—of the consumer, thus balancing the competing interests of the consumer and the advertiser. Without self-restraint, the advertiser will face backlash from an older generation and indifference from a younger, more technologically aware generation

User experience in cross-cultural contexts

This dissertation discusses how interdisciplinary UX teams can consider culturally sensitive design elements during the UX design process. It contributes a state-of-the-art meta review on UX evaluation methods, two software tool artifacts for cross-functional UX teams, and empirical insights in the differing usage behaviors of a website plug-in of French, German and Italian users, website design preferences of Vietnamese and German users, as well as learnings from a field trip that focused on studying privacy and personalization in Mumbai, India. Finally, based on these empirical insights, this work introduces the concept culturally sensitive design that goes beyond traditional cross-cultural design considerations in HCI that do not compare different approaches to consider culturally sensitive product aspects in user research

Ad points: rewards to engage with ads

Visitors to publisher websites have generally come to regard publisher content and services as free. Consequently, revenues from advertising account for the majority of publishers’ revenues. In ad-supported free access to information, there is an implicit value transfer to users, which users do not always realize. Users take actions such as installing of ad-blockers, tracking preventers, etc. that can diminish revenue to publishers. This disclosure presents techniques that make the value transfer more apparent by rewarding users who participate in the ad ecosystem, e.g., by completing ad surveys; by opting in for personalized ads; by sharing ads; by making purchases after viewing an ad; etc. Per the techniques, ad points accumulate across multiple devices associated with a user. Ad points may be used in several ways, e.g., to access publisher content, etc. By incentivizing users, advertisers can target appropriate audiences more accurately. The techniques allow discovery of a sweet spot between user privacy and personalization of ads

Full Potential of Future Robotaxis Achievable with Trip-Based Subsidies and Fees Applied to the For-Hire Vehicles of Today

As described by Grush and Niles in their textbook, The End of Driving: Transportation Systems and Public Policy Planning for Autonomous Vehicles, there are two distinct market states for the future of automobility as vehicles become increasingly automated. The first, Market-1, is comprised of all vehicles that are manufactured and sold to private owners and used as household vehicles. This private consumer fleet will—through automated driver assistance systems (ADAS)—be increasingly capable of hands-off operation, even self-driving in certain environments such as limited-access expressways. The second category, Market-2, represents all the vehicles made expressly for the service market, i.e., roboshuttles and robotaxis, meant to be eventually driverless in prepared, defined areas and streets. Ford, GM, Lyft, Uber, Waymo, and dozens of other companies assert that they are preparing vehicles for Market-2. The main thesis in this perspective is that a productive, efficient system of on-demand Market-2 mobility can evolve from incentive-based governance—here termed “harmonization management.” This approach strikes a contrast with rigid regulation of a style seen with big city taxicabs and based on using constrained service classifications or per-vehicle medallion approaches. This essay recommends that transportation authorities set up systems of robust pricing signals—incentives and fees—delivered through a universal, mandatory system providing efficient, equitable distribution of these signals

Designing for empowerment

Technology bears the potential to empower people - to help them tackle challenges they would otherwise give up on or not even try, to make experiences possible they did not have access to before. One type of such technologies - the application area of this thesis - is health and wellbeing technology (HWT), such as digital health records, physical activity trackers, or digital fitness coach applications. HWTs often claim to empower people to live healthier and happier lives. However, there is reason to challenge and critically reflect on these claims and underlying assumptions as more and more researchers are finding that technologies aiming or claiming to be empowering often turn out to be disempowering. This critical reflection is the starting point of this thesis: Can HWTs really empower people in their everyday lives? If so, how should we go about designing them to foster empowerment and avoid disempowerment? To this aim, this thesis makes three main contributions: First, it presents a framework of empowering technologies that aims to introduce conceptual and terminological clarity of empowerment in the field of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). As a literature review conducted for this thesis reveals, the understandings of empowerment in HCI diverge substantially, rendering the term a subsumption of diverse research endeavors. The presented framework is informed by the results of the literature review as well as prior work on empowerment in social sciences, psychology, and philosophy. It aims to help other researchers to analyze conceptual differences between their own work and others’ and to position their research projects. In the same way, this thesis uses the proposed framework to analyze and reflect on the conducted case studies. Second, this thesis explores how HWT can empower people in a number of studies. Technologies that are investigated in these studies are divided into three interaction paradigms (derived from Beaudouin-Lafon’s interaction paradigms): Technologies that follow the computer-as-tool paradigm include patient-controlled electronic health records, and physical activity trackers; technologies in the computer-as-partner paradigm include personalized digital fitness coaches; and technologies in the computer-as-intelligent-tool paradigm includes transparently designed digital coaching technology. For each of these paradigms, I discuss benefits and shortcomings, as well as recommendations for future work. Third, I explore methods for designing and evaluating empowering technology. Therefore, I analyze and discuss methods that have been used in the different case studies to inform the design of empowering technologies such as interviews, observations, personality tests, experience sampling, or the Theory of Planned Behavior. Further, I present the design and evaluation of two tools that aimed to help researchers and designers evaluate empowering technologies by eliciting rich, contextualized feedback from users and fostering an empathic relationship between users and designers. I hope that my framework, design explorations, and evaluation tools will serve research on empowering technologies in HCI to develop a more grounded understanding, a clear research agenda, and inspire the development of a new class of empowering HWTs.Technologie für Empowerment — im Deutschen am besten mit Befähigung oder Ermächtigung übersetzt: diese Vision ist sowohl in medizinischen und technischen Fachkreisen als auch in der wissenschaftlichen Literatur im Feld Mensch-Maschine Interaktion (MMI) weit verbreitet. Technologie kann — laut dieser Vision — Menschen helfen Herausforderungen zu meistern, die sie sonst nicht schaffen oder nicht mal versuchen würden, oder Ihnen komplett neue Erfahrungen ermöglichen. Eine Art von “empowernden”, also befähigenden Technologien sind Technologien für Gesundheit und Wohlbefinden (health and wellbeing technologies, HWT), wie beispielsweise digitale Krankenakten, Schrittzähler, oder digitale Fitnesstrainer. Sowohl Werbung als auch Forschung über HWTs preist diese häufig als Schlüssel zu einem gesünderen und glücklicheren Leben an. Es gibt aber durchaus Gründe diesen Behauptungen kritisch gegenüberzustehen. So haben bereits einige Forschungsprojekte über vermeintlich “empowernde” Technologien ergeben, dass diese eher entmächtigen — also Ihre Nutzer mehr einschränken als Ihnen mehr Möglichkeiten zu verschaffen. Eine kritische Reflexion der Annahme, dass HWTs ihre Nutzer empowern stellt den Ausgangspunkt dieser Dissertation dar: Können HWTs ihre Nutzer wirklich empowern? Falls dem so ist, wie sollten sie am besten gestaltet werden? Der Beitrag meiner Dissertation zur Beantwortung dieser Fragen wird in drei Teilen präsentiert: Im ersten Teil stelle ich ein konzeptuelles Framework vor, mit dem Ziel terminologische Klarheit im Bereich Empowerment in MMI zu fördern. Eine Literaturanalyse im Rahmen dieser Dissertation hat ergeben, dass die Verwendungen des Begriffs “Empowerment” in der MMI Literatur sehr stark voneinander abweichen. Beispielsweise wird der Begriff in Literatur über Technologien für Barrierefreiheit anders verstanden als in Literatur über Technologien für bürgerliches Engagement. Folglich schert das Schlagwort “Technologien für Empowermen”, das in Präsentationen und Denkschriften weit verbreitet ist, komplett unterschiedliche Ansätze über einen Kamm. Das Framework, das in dieser Dissertation vorgestellt wird, zeigt die Unterschiede und Gemeinsamkeiten bei der Verwendung des Empowermentbegriffs auf. Es entstand als Resultat der Literaturanalyse und integriert gleichzeitig Erkenntnisse von Empowermenttheorien die in Sozialwissenschaften, Psychologie und Philosophie diskutiert wurden. In dieser Dissertation wird das vorgestellte Framework verwendet, um die präsentierten Studien über HWTs einzuordnen und zu diskutieren. Im zweiten Teil präsentiere ich verschiedene empirische und technische Studien mit dem Ziel zu verstehen wie HWTs Menschen empowern können. Die Technologien, die dabei untersucht werden teile ich in drei Interaktionsparadigmen ein (die von den Interaktionsparadigmen von Beaudouin-Lafon abgeleitet sind): Technologien im Paradigma Computerals- Werkzeug sind beispielsweise digitale Krankenakten und Schrittzähler; Technologien im Paradigma Computer-als-Partner sind beispielsweise digitale personalisierte Fitnesstrainer und Technologien im Paradigma Computer-als-intelligentes-Werkzeug sind beispielsweise transparent gestaltete digitale personalisierte Gesundheitsberater oder Fitnesstrainer. Vorund Nachteile von Technologien in diesen drei Paradigmen werden diskutiert und Empfehlungen für zukünftige Forschung in diesen Bereichen abgeleitet. Im dritten Teil, untersuche ich, welche Methoden für die Gestaltung und Evaluierung von empowernden Technologien geeignet sind. Einerseits diskutiere ich die Vor- und Nachteile der Methoden, die in den einzelnen Untersuchungen von HWTs (im zweiten Teil) verwendet wurden, wie zum Beispiel Interviews, Observationen, die Experience Sampling Methode oder Fragebögen basierend auf der Theorie des geplanten Verhaltens. Andererseits berichte ich über die Gestaltung und Entwicklung von zwei Applikationen mit dem Ziel Forschern und Designern die Evaluation von empowernden Technologien zu erleichtern. Konkret hat die erste Applikation das Ziel es Testnutzern zu ermöglichen immer und überall für sie wichtige Aspekte des Nutzererlebnisses an das Entwicklungsteam weiterzugeben. Bei der Entwicklung der zweiten Applikation stand dagegen die Förderung von Empathie zwischen Nutzern und Designern im Vordergrund. Ich hoffe, dass das vorgestellte Framework, die Studien über HWTs und Evaluationswerkezeuge die Forschung über empowernde Technologien voranbringen, zu einer klaren Forschungsagenda beitragen, und die Entwicklung von neuartigen HWTs anregen werden

Perceptions of Home in Long-Term Care Settings:Before and After Institutional Relocation

Although moving from institutional to home-like long-term care (LTC) settings can promote and sustain the health and wellbeing of older adults, there has been little research examining how home is perceived by older adults when moving between care settings. A qualitative study was conducted over a two-year period during the relocation of residents and staff from an institutional LTC home to a purpose-built LTC home in Western Canada. The study explored perceptions of home amongst residents, family members and staff. Accordingly, 210 semi-structured interviews were conducted at five time-points with 35 residents, 23 family members and 81 staff. Thematic analyses generated four superordinate themes that are suggestive of how to create and enhance a sense of home in LTC settings: (a) physical environment features; (b) privacy and personalisation; (c) autonomy, choice and flexibility; and (d) connectedness and togetherness. The findings reveal that the physical environment features are foundational for the emergence of social and personal meanings associated with a sense of home, and highlight the impact of care practices on the sense of home when the workplace becomes a home. In addition, tension that arises between providing care and creating a home-like environment in LTC settings is discussed.</p

Influence of Technology of Acceptance Model (TAM) on Customer Interest in Using Mybca on A Sustainable Basis (Privacy and Personalization as Moderation Variables)

The purpose of this study was to examine and analyze the effect of the Technology of Acceptance Model (TAM) on Customer Interests in Using myBCA in a sustainable manner (Privacy and Personalization as Moderating Variables). The sample who became respondents in this study were 200 people. The sampling method used in this study was non-probability sampling and specifically purposive sampling, with data collection techniques using a questionnaire. The data analysis method uses Partial Least Square (PLS) Structural Equation Model (SEM) with Smart PLS Version 3 software. The results of this study are: (1) Perceived usefulness has a significant positive effect on interest in using myBCA mobile banking; (2) Perceived ease of use is positive and not significant to interest in using myBCA mobile banking; (3) Perceived enjoyment has a positive and insignificant effect on interest in using myBCA mobile banking; (4) Actual Use has a positive and insignificant effect on interest in using myBCA mobile banking; (5) Trust has a positive and insignificant effect on interest in using myBCA mobile banking; (6) Privacy has a positive and insignificant effect on interest in using myBCA mobile banking; (7) Personalization has a significant positive effect on interest in using myBCA mobile banking; (8) Privacy is unable to moderate Perceived usefulness and Perceived ease of use of myBCA customer interests; (9) Personalization is not able to be moderately perceived. Keywords: Technology of Acceptance Model, Customer Interest DOI: 10.7176/JESD/14-17-01 Publication date: November 30th 202

P3P semantic checker of site behaviours

The interactive use of the web between users and service providers introduces a privacy problem that involves the undesired disclosing of user personal information, mainly with the presence of personalization that needs this type of information. Also there are many manners to face it, but the Platform for Privacy Preferences (P3P) is one that provides a variable level of privacy for the user’s browsing. However, the P3P only introduces a privacy contract between the site and the user, without guarantees that it will be obeyed by the site. Then a semantic checker can be added to the P3P architecture to compare the contract with the site attitude and to increase the trustworthiness on the P3P contract. Some experiments are accomplished and the results are displayed to show the present situation of the privacy policies of the sites, and we discuss what it implies in the data gathering and what is gained with the use of the semantic checker.5th IFIP International Conference on Network Control & Engineering for QoS, Security and MobilityRed de Universidades con Carreras en Informática (RedUNCI