PUBLIC TALK: Glass Houses: the Internet of Things and its encroachment on intimacy

A public lecture by Dr Gilad Rosner, founder, Internet of Things Privacy Forum and Institute of Advanced Studies Visiting Fellow.

How many cameras do you have in your home? How many microphones? The Internet of Things, smart homes and connected devices are becoming commonplace concepts, but what do these technologies mean for intimacy? The home, classically cherished as a private space, is becoming more transparent to a myriad of commercial interests. Do you have to have ‘something to hide’ merely if you want to avoid the penetrating gaze of your Things? Or, is it still appropriate to imagine people are making ‘trade-offs’ when they exchange some of their privacy for services, even if they paid outright for a device and it’s installed in the home for long periods of time?

In this talk, Dr Gilad Rosner will explore the technologies, business relationships, regulations and social concepts implied by bringing listening and watching devices into the home. He will discuss the overlapping ideas of privacy, data protection, boundary management and consent, examining both the emerging challenges to intimacy and some of the more promising frameworks to address them.