Benefits and Privacy Concerns of a Home Equipped with a Visual Sensing System: A Perspective from Older Adults

Abstract

Monitoring technology has the potential to allow older adults to remain in their homes longer than may otherwise be possible. However, often this monitoring technology captures images which may cause privacy concerns, especially when these images are captured in a home environment. We used Likert scales within a structured interview to investigate privacy concerns in an aware or smart home environment. Specifically, we were interested in how the type of image that was captured and the level of functioning of the person being monitored affected privacy concerns in a home environment. The data suggest that both device type as well as level of functioning affect privacy concerns in a variety of situations, providing the first evidence that certain privacy concerns are not independent of situation variables.