Privacy by Design – Principles of Privacy-Aware Ubiquitous Systems Marc Langheinrich Distributed Systems Group, Institute of Information Systems, IFW Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, ETH Zurich 8092 Zurich, Switzerland www.inf.ethz.ch/~langhein/ Abstract. This paper serves as an introductory reading on privacy issues in ubiquitous computing. It develops six principles for guiding system design, based on fair information practices common in most privacy legislation: notice, choice and consent, proximity and locality, anonymity and pseudonymity, security, and access and recourse. A brief look at the history of privacy protection, its legal status, and its expected utility is provided as background. ## 1 Introduction Privacy has been a hot topic for some time, but its impact on ubiquitous computing has been minimal. While research on internet privacy and computer-supported collaborative work is increasing, little work has been done in ubiquitous computing. Some projects address privacy, but solutions are ad-hoc and specific. This is due to the infancy of ubiquitous computing and the elusive nature of privacy, which is often a social or ethical issue. This article serves as an introductory reading for computer science researchers, especially in ubiquitous computing. It provides a brief background on privacy, its history, issues, legal implications, and guidelines for designing privacy-aware systems. ## 2 Privacy Privacy is viewed from three angles: its history, legal status, and utility. Discussions about privacy have a long history, with changes in perspective due to historical developments. Privacy has been incorporated into regulatory frameworks, and recent technological developments have sparked discussions about the necessity of strict privacy protection. ## 2.1 A Brief History Privacy has been on people's minds since the 19th century, with Samuel Warren and Louis Brandeis writing about the right to privacy. Privacy became a hot issue in the 1960s with the use of automated data processing by governments. The Nazi exploitation of detailed public records in WWII led to data-protection laws. Over time, privacy focus has shifted with technological developments. Privacy issues can be traced back to 1361 with the Justices of the Peace Act in England. In the 18th century, William Pitt wrote about territorial privacy. With the increased use of the telephone system, communication privacy received attention. The Nazi exploitation of non-Aryan populations in the 1930s led to the issue of information privacy.Privacy by Design – Principles of Privacy-Aware Ubiquitous Systems Marc Langheinrich Distributed Systems Group, Institute of Information Systems, IFW Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, ETH Zurich 8092 Zurich, Switzerland www.inf.ethz.ch/~langhein/ Abstract. This paper serves as an introductory reading on privacy issues in ubiquitous computing. It develops six principles for guiding system design, based on fair information practices common in most privacy legislation: notice, choice and consent, proximity and locality, anonymity and pseudonymity, security, and access and recourse. A brief look at the history of privacy protection, its legal status, and its expected utility is provided as background. ## 1 Introduction Privacy has been a hot topic for some time, but its impact on ubiquitous computing has been minimal. While research on internet privacy and computer-supported collaborative work is increasing, little work has been done in ubiquitous computing. Some projects address privacy, but solutions are ad-hoc and specific. This is due to the infancy of ubiquitous computing and the elusive nature of privacy, which is often a social or ethical issue. This article serves as an introductory reading for computer science researchers, especially in ubiquitous computing. It provides a brief background on privacy, its history, issues, legal implications, and guidelines for designing privacy-aware systems. ## 2 Privacy Privacy is viewed from three angles: its history, legal status, and utility. Discussions about privacy have a long history, with changes in perspective due to historical developments. Privacy has been incorporated into regulatory frameworks, and recent technological developments have sparked discussions about the necessity of strict privacy protection. ## 2.1 A Brief History Privacy has been on people's minds since the 19th century, with Samuel Warren and Louis Brandeis writing about the right to privacy. Privacy became a hot issue in the 1960s with the use of automated data processing by governments. The Nazi exploitation of detailed public records in WWII led to data-protection laws. Over time, privacy focus has shifted with technological developments. Privacy issues can be traced back to 1361 with the Justices of the Peace Act in England. In the 18th century, William Pitt wrote about territorial privacy. With the increased use of the telephone system, communication privacy received attention. The Nazi exploitation of non-Aryan populations in the 1930s led to the issue of information privacy.