Designing the Health-related Internet of Things: Ethical Principles and Guidelines

The conjunction of wireless computing, ubiquitous Internet access, and the miniaturisation of sensors have opened the door for technological applications that can monitor health and well-being outside of formal healthcare systems. The health-related Internet of Things (H-IoT) increasingly plays a key role in health management by providing real-time tele-monitoring of patients, testing of treatments, actuation of medical devices, and fitness and well-being monitoring. Given its numerous applications and proposed benefits, adoption by medical and social care institutions and consumers may be rapid. However, a host of ethical concerns are also raised that must be addressed. The inherent sensitivity of health-related data being generated and latent risks of Internet-enabled devices pose serious challenges. Users, already in a vulnerable position as patients, face a seemingly impossible task to retain control over their data due to the scale, scope and complexity of systems that create, aggregate, and analyse personal health data. In response, the H-IoT must be designed to be technologically robust and scientifically reliable, while also remaining ethically responsible, trustworthy, and respectful of user rights and interests. To assist developers of the H-IoT, this paper describes nine principles and nine guidelines for ethical design of H-IoT devices and data protocols

Exploring the role of marketing as a tool to aid smart meter adoption amongst fuel poverty and vulnerable groups

This study is concerned with exploring the role of marketing as a tool to improve smart meter adoption amongst different fuel poverty groups. The traditional view of marketing is that it is a process by which people and firms get what they require and desire by generating and trading value with others (Kotler and Armstrong, 2010). Nonetheless, a more recent view of marketing is that it provides a vehicle to aid the achievement of a wide range of social goals. In this instance, fuel poverty and energy efficiency. For example, social marketing could be used as a means of ‘engaging’ fuel poverty groups to improve the energy efficiency of their home. Despite this, few empirical studies have explored the role of marketing in alleviating fuel poverty and improving energy efficiency

Changing demand: flexibility of energy practices in households with children (interim report)

This report investigates the practices that use energy in households with children to understand change and flexibility for demand management. The findings suggest that demand management and engagement activities need to go beyond individually motivating family households to save money, protect the environment, or make better choices in the electricity market. Overview Family households represent 25% of Australian households and face particular challenges as a result of rapid changes in the energy market and pricing structures. The Changing Demand: Flexibility of Energy Practices in Households with Children Project investigates how energy demand is changing in households with children and the likely implications of more cost-reflective network tariffs for this consumer group. This interim report discusses the findings from in-depth interviews conducted with 44 family households which will inform a national survey later in 2014. Children’s needs came first and daily routines enabled family households to manage the range of competing priorities and activities. Household activities in the late afternoon and early evening were highly coordinated and coincided with peak tariff period for Time-of-Use (TOU) electricity pricing. Family practices held meanings which are distinct from how these practices are valued and performed in other types of households. In particular, family health, children’s ongoing development, providing practical life skills, and enabling fun and socialisation were valued benefits. Energy use changed as children aged and went through various stages of life development and as new practice expectations emerged and changed with the introduction of new technologies, changing house design, increasing energy costs, and changing priorities. Information and communications technology (ICT) practices was the biggest area of concern and rapid change for family households and many parents felt they had little ‘control’ over their children’s usage. Parents’ were often conflicted about the potential health and wellbeing impacts of their children’s ICT use with the potential educational, development and communication functionalities these devices might provide. These competing priorities and concerns took precedence over any ICT-related energy concerns. Electricity usage was not a key consideration in other everyday activities or priorities despite rising electricity bills being a common concern or contributor to financial stress for family households. Most householders had low levels of energy literacy and engagement and felt unable to make appropriate choices about electricity tariffs and providers, and some were consciously disengaging from the current energy market focus on energy choices. Many were uncertain about their current electricity tariff. It was not practicable for most family households to change their routines to respond to a TOU tariff. Rapid change in family householders added to concerns about the financial impact of a TOU tariff on family households.  Family households were flexible and adaptable in response to the ‘normal’ disruptions of everyday family life. Most householders were willing to shift their routines in response to occasional alerts about critical peak demand. They described concerns for the ‘common good’ and the need to work together for social benefits or health and wellbeing of others (distinct from personal financial gain or environmental benefits). The findings suggest that current consumer demand management and engagement activities need to go beyond individually motivating family households to save money, protect the environment, or make better choices in the electricity market. Peak alerts, framed as a natural event or an ‘exceptional circumstance’ that benefits a common good and assists reliable and affordable access to electricity, is a potentially agreeable and productive strategy for engaging families to reduce energy use at times of peak demand

Tell the Smart House to Mind its Own Business!: Maintaining Privacy and Security in the Era of Smart Devices

Consumers want convenience. That convenience often comes in the form of everyday smart devices that connect to the internet and assist with daily tasks. With the advancement of technology and the “Internet of Things” in recent years, convenience is at our fingertips more than ever before. Not only do consumers want convenience, they want to trust that their product is performing the task that they purchased it for and not exposing them to danger or risk. However, due to the increasing capabilities and capacities of smart devices, consumers are less likely to realize the implications of what they are agreeing to when they purchase and begin using these products. This Note will focus on the risks associated with smart devices, using smart home devices as an illustration. These devices have the ability to collect intimate details about the layout of the home and about those who live within it. The mere collection of this personal data opens consumers up to the risk of having their private information shared with unintended recipients whether the information is being sold to a third party or accessible to a hacker. Thus, to adequately protect consumers, it is imperative that they can fully consent to their data being collected, retained, and potentially distributed. This Note examines the law that is currently in place to protect consumers who use smart devices and argues that a void ultimately leaves consumers vulnerable. Current data privacy protection in the United States centers on the self-regulatory regime of “notice and choice.” This Note highlights how the self-regulatory notice-and-choice model fails to ensure sufficient protection for consumers who use smart devices and discusses the need for greater privacy protection in the era of the emerging Internet of Things. Ultimately, this Note proposes a state-level resolution and calls upon an exemplar state to experiment with privacy protection laws to determine the best way to regulate the Internet of Things

Smartphones

Many of the research approaches to smartphones actually regard them as more or less transparent points of access to other kinds of communication experiences. That is, rather than considering the smartphone as something in itself, the researchers look at how individuals use the smartphone for their communicative purposes, whether these be talking, surfing the web, using on-line data access for off-site data sources, downloading or uploading materials, or any kind of interaction with social media. They focus not so much on the smartphone itself but on the activities that people engage in with their smartphones

Jefferson Digital Commons quarterly report: January-March 2020

This quarterly report includes: New Look for the Jefferson Digital Commons Articles COVID-19 Working Papers Educational Materials From the Archives Grand Rounds and Lectures JeffMD Scholarly Inquiry Abstracts Journals and Newsletters Master of Public Health Capstones Oral Histories Posters and Conference Presentations What People are Saying About the Jefferson the Digital Common

Weathering the Nest: Privacy Implications of Home Monitoring for the Aging American Population

The research in this paper will seek to ascertain the extent of personal data entry and collection required to enjoy at least the minimal promised benefits of distributed intelligence and monitoring in the home. Particular attention will be given to the abilities and sensitivities of the population most likely to need these devices, notably the elderly and disabled. The paper will then evaluate whether existing legal limitations on the collection, maintenance, and use of such data are applicable to devices currently in use in the home environment and whether such regulations effectively protect privacy. Finally, given appropriate policy parameters, the paper will offer proposals to effectuate reasonable and practical privacy-protective solutions for developers and consumers