Privacy Forum
Living an Independent Life in the Digital World
The diversity and appeal of today’s online services tempt many users to generate and share ever-increasing amounts of sensitive data. Businesses and public organizations tend to routinely collect, process, and make available vast amounts of personal data as part of their daily operations. This trend toward increasing data volumes is further amplified by the rapid development of big data analytics, which enable vast amounts of diverse data to be sifted through and processed in a short time. This hidden knowledge derived from the collected data of customers and citizens holds value-creation potential that is exploited not only by private companies but also by government agencies, such as intelligence services.
Furthermore, there is a growing trend toward the blurring of boundaries between the private and public spheres: wearable mini-computers, machines in industrial settings, and everyday objects in homes, workplaces, or public spaces are becoming intelligent, networked systems (cyber-physical systems).
All these developments are leading to new methods of collecting, linking, and analyzing data—and in doing so, they may potentially jeopardize the individual’s right to privacy and informational self-determination. Fraunhofer SIT researchers believe that a lack of trust and insufficient protection of privacy not only hinder the innovation potential of emerging technologies but also undermine the very idea of a democratic society.
As part of the interdisciplinary “Forum Privatheit” project, Fraunhofer SIT experts are therefore focusing on the following areas:
- Prospective analysis of new information and communication technology systems and applications for opportunities and data protection risks
- Research and prototypical implementation of effective and user-friendly techniques to strengthen privacy protection in the context of novel ICT technologies
- Identification and formulation of research and development needs for privacy and informational self-determination in current and future data processing application scenarios
Privacy Forum
Privacy is an essential prerequisite for democracy, the rule of law, and informational self-determination. Digitalization and extensive global connectivity are creating new needs for the protection of privacy, but also for a critical redefinition of privacy that balances individual and societal expectations with economic opportunities.
As part of the BMBF-funded “Forum Privatheit” project, researchers from the fields of engineering, law, economics, the humanities, and the social sciences are working to develop a contemporary understanding of the role of privacy. Building on this, they are developing concepts for (re)defining and ensuring informational self-determination and privacy in the digital world.