An Eye towards Privacy: Paradoxes and Promise in the Age of Pervasive Photography

Abstract

As always-on and wearable cameras -- and digital photography in general -- become more commonplace, we will need to reconsider our notions of privacy. How will people react to constant surveillance by their peers, and what technical solutions can enhance privacy in this new age? Can we leverage people's sense of 'propriety' to protect other people's privacy? In this talk, I will highlight some of our interdisciplinary research on answering and addressing these questions. I will talk about our recent work that shows how good intentions can backfire when trying to influence photo sharing decisions. I will also discuss our follow-up eye-tracking based analysis of visual attention to understand people's decision-making while sharing photos. Finally, I will talk about the promise of automated analysis and the transformation of photos on the bumpy road towards improved privacy in the age of pervasive photography.