Perceptions of older adults about the concept of privacy and in terms of video-based AAL technologies.

Abstract

Purpose Privacy is a basic human need and it spans all areas of human activity. For that, the concept of privacy is notoriously known as very difficult to define. Even more so, the technological era has given a whole new meaning to privacy. Modern technological solutions, such as Active Assisted Living technologies, provide great benefits in healthcare and at the same time posit a risk of violating privacy. The Privacy by Design paradigm in technology allows data protection through inherent technology design (Schaar, 2010). Different visual privacy preservation filters are being developed for video-based AAL technologies (Climent-Pérez & Florez-Revuelta, 2021; Ravi et al., 2021). On the other side of these technological advancements, is the user perspective. The study aims to understand what privacy means for older adults and what implications it has in relation to active assisted living technology. We are specifically interested in knowing how older adults define privacy as a concept, in relation to their lives, and in relation to AAL technology. What are their attitudes toward AAL technology and Video-based AAL technology (VAAL) specifically and how does it affect their privacy. Method In order to explore the topic of privacy, a qualitative methodological framework was developed. Exploratory interview sessions were conducted with older adults 66 and plus of age, until the saturation of information was reached. A total of 12 participants were interviewed. The participants were identified with the help of a case manager nurse from a health centre in Alicante, Spain. Respondents were sampled in such a way that fitted the different sociodemographic profiles. Results and Discussion Findings indicate that the word privacy is not readily understandable for older adults, however when mentioned in the context of video-based monitoring system, then they do get alarmed. It was very surprising when three respondents mistook the word "privacy" for "deprivation" (“Privacidad” for “Deprivar” in Spanish), however, interestingly enough, the term ‘‘privacy’’ indeed derives from the Latin word ‘‘privatus’’ and ‘‘privo’’, meaning ‘‘to deprive’’. Its original usage was the military term private, which literally meant ‘‘to be deprived of status or rank’’ (Rawnsley, 1980).  This has been a very thought-provoking coincidence (or not a coincidence) which has led us to think that one´s privacy is indeed a very delicate subject and very scary in the hands of an unwanted person, so much so, that privacy can be a powerful tool causing ‘‘to be deprived of status or rank’’. The term privacy seems to be closely associated with the concepts of freedom, power, and independence. With further studies, we wish to inquire whether privacy and independence lie on the same continuum or are different dimensions in terms of AAL technologies.  On one hand, participants stated that privacy for them means independence, but they no longer have the freedom of privacy. On the other hand, modern technologies seem to be offering us increased independence at the expense of risking privacy. Hence, the question is, can technologies guarantee data security and privacy together with increased independence.