Privacy Concerns and Social Robots

Privacy Concerns and Social RobotsPresenting New Empirical EvidenceNew Friends ConferenceBarcelona, November 3 2016

Christoph Lutz, [email protected] - @lutzid Aurelia Tamò, @a_a_tamo

mailto:[email protected]

New Friends 2016 Privacy and Social Robots

Tamò & LutzPage 2 Agenda

• Background

• Survey Methods

• Results

• Implications & Outlook


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Background


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Methods


Tamò & LutzPage 11 Data and Method

• Amazon Mechanical Turk survey with 500 individuals

• Respondents based in the United States

• 55% male, 45% female

• Most respondents have some college or a Bachelor’s degree (72%)

• Most respondents are employed (62%) or self-employed (16%) but some other groups as well (students, unemployed, homemaker)


Tamò & LutzPage 12 Robots in Different Social Contexts


Tamò & LutzPage 13 Measurement (1/2)

Informational Privacy Concerns: Social (3 items)Other users… …engaging in identity theft through the robot…hacking into the robot…stalking me via the robot

Informational Privacy Concerns: Institutional (4 items)The robot manufacturer… …insufficiently protecting personal data…tracking and analyzing personal data…selling personal data to third parties…sharing personal data with government agencies


Tamò & LutzPage 14 Measurement (2/2)

Physical Concerns (5 items)The robot… …damaging or dirtying personal belongings, …asking me personal questions…entering areas it shouldn’t access…using items it shouldn’t use

Social Bonding Concerns (4 items)I become too emotionally attached to the robot.I develop too intimate feelings towards the robot.I develop an unhealthy friendship with the robot.I become dependent on the robot.


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Results


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Informational Privacy Concerns: Social (Other Users)

3.04 3.53 2.93

Identity Theft Hacking Stalking


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Informational Privacy Concerns: Institutional (Manufacturer)

3.70 3.71 3.74 3.72

Insufficient Data Protection

Tracking and Analyzing Data

Selling Data Sharing Data withGovernment


Tamò & LutzPage 18 Physical Privacy Concerns: Robot (1/2)

2.56 1.90 2.14

Damaging or DirtyingPersonal Belongings

Asking Personal Questions

Snooping throughPersonal Belongings


Tamò & LutzPage 19 Physical Privacy Concerns: Robot (2/2)

2.40 2.08

Entering Areas ItShouldn‘t Access

Using Items ItShouldn‘t Use


Tamò & LutzPage 20 Bonding Privacy Concerns: Robot - User

1.71

Emotional Attachment

1.36 1.52 2.32

Intimate Feelings UnhealthyFriendship

Dependence


Tamò & LutzPage 21 Summary and Further Findings

Type of Concern Average Value (1-5)Informational Privacy Concerns: Social (Other users)

3.17

Informational Privacy Concerns: Institutional (Manufacturer)

3.72

Physical Privacy Concerns 2.25

Bonding Privacy Concerns 1.73

• High correlations between informational privacy concerns: socialand informational privacy concerns: institutional

• Moderate correlations (0.3) between informational privacyconcerns: institutional and physical privacy concerns

• Low correlations between bonding privacy concerns and otherconcerns


Tamò & LutzPage 22 Summary and Further Findings

• Privacy concerns correlate (weakly but) significantly with users‘ generalattitude towards robots. In particular, access concerns have a negative effect.

• Access concerns reduce users‘ trust in robots – and/or trust reduces users‘ access concerns.

• Interestingly, bonding concerns increase users‘ trust in robots – and/or trustreduces users‘ bonding concerns.


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Implications and Outlook


Tamò & LutzPage 24 Implications

• Privacy concerns about robots are pronounced among respondents

• Necessity to distinguish different types of privacy concerns

• Informational privacy concerns: institutional most pronounced

⇒ Robots manufacturers should think about data protection!⇒ Depiction of robots and AI in popular culture covers aspects most users

don’t worry about (bonding).⇒ Users might underestimate robots’ bonding potential.


Tamò & LutzPage 25 Outlook

• More (empirical) resarch to be done on robots and privacy

• Next step for us: bringing pieces together into a testable model


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Thank You For Sharing Your ThoughtsNorwegian Business School (BI)Center for Internet & SocietyNydalsvn. 37 / N-0442 Oslo

Science

Privacy Concerns and Social Robots