Security and privacy in user modeling (Q1872138)

The common problem of human-computer interaction is information that has to be presented to a user. Especially for general-purpose software (i.e. software produced for many users) an average user is likely to find that the software presents information that is not needed by the user but desired or even needed information is often missing there. To avoid such problems ``personalized'' systems adapt their behavior according to the individual characteristics of their current user. Such adaptation, however, requires collecting and keeping considerable amounts of user-related data. As such data usually can be related to an identifiable person, one can not ignore concerns or even existing laws requiring proper protection of person-related data. In spite of that, issues relating to the user's privacy in user adaptive systems seem to be rather overlooked until recently, and have not been treated in depth. The book focuses on the security of user modeling systems and of data processed within such systems as well as on the privacy of the user being modeled. Besides introductory part it consists of nine chapters grouped into four parts. Part I provides a brief introduction to the field of user modeling, survey of laws, ethical issues and user demands concerning privacy, as well as very brief overview of the essential security factors of information systems. In Part II requirements for security in user modeling are analyzed in more details. Here first the relationship between the user model data and user being modeled is analyzed, and several levels, complexities and types of anonymity and pseudonymity are discussed. Then attention is given to the security of user models, user modeling agents, and the data they process with particular emphasis on the requirements for the secrecy and integrity of the information processed. The structure of Part III reflects the one of the previous Part. Particularly, wherever possible, solutions for the requirements outlined in the corresponding chapters of Part II are proposed here. Requirements which cannot be satisfied by user modeling alone are discussed, and mutually exclusive requirements are contrasted here. The final Part IV offers descriptions of security features of concrete user modeling systems as well as summary and conclusions. The book provides an in-depth view to the security and privacy issues in user modeling. Besides a comprehensive analysis of security requirements it also discusses various solutions for these requirements. In addition three new methods for increasing the security of user modeling systems are presented here. The book may serve as a useful resource for everyone interested in security and privacy issues in user modeling systems.