Data autonomy and privacy in the smart home: the case for a privacy smart home meta-assistant

Abstract In this paper, we focus on privacy risks in smart home environments and their implications for privacy and data protection. As with other Internet of Things (IoT) devices, the collection and processing of user data in smart home environments currently lack transparency and control. Smart home applications operate within the home, a space that is both morally and legally particularly protected and characterized by a implicit expectation of privacy from the user’s perspective. In contrast to these higher privacy risks, the current regulatory efforts are not yet up to speed with respect to smart home environments. As an interim workaround solution, in this paper, we propose a meta-assistant for the smart home that increases users’ data autonomy and thereby their privacy. In the first section, we give a brief overview of smart home applications, their data collection mechanisms, and the implications for user privacy. Following this, we argue in the second section that consent to datafication, i.e., the prevalent legal option to obtain legal grounds for data collection and processing, in most smart home contexts is—albeit legally sufficient—morally inadequate to provide meaningful possibilities for users to exercise their data autonomy and manage their privacy. The third section introduces an interim solution, outlining the possibility of a meta-assistant, which is capable of operating all other devices—if necessary, by shutting them off completely.