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

Christoph Lutz, christoph.lutz@bi.no - @lutzid Aurelia Tamò, @a_a_tamo

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Tamò & LutzPage 2 Agenda

• Background

• Survey Methods

• Results

• Implications & Outlook

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Background

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Methods

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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)

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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

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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

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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

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2.40 2.08

Entering Areas ItShouldn‘t Access

Using Items ItShouldn‘t Use

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Tamò & LutzPage 20 Bonding Privacy Concerns: Robot - User

1.71

Emotional Attachment

1.36 1.52 2.32

Intimate Feelings UnhealthyFriendship

Dependence

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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

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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

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• 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.

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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