Privacy in Citizen Science: An Emerging Concern for Research & Practice

Citizen science projects increasingly rely on technologies, ranging from stationary sensors to smartphones, to aid in data collection, submission, and retrieval. These technologies enable projects to collect large volumes of... [ view full abstract ]

Citizen science projects increasingly rely on technologies, ranging from stationary sensors to smartphones, to aid in data collection, submission, and retrieval. These technologies enable projects to collect large volumes of data, to collect more precise data, and to engage new audiences (e.g., through games). However, these powerful tools may pose significant threats to the privacy and security of volunteers. Citizen science researchers and practitioners working in health and wellness have raised considerations regarding how technologies and protocols can be designed to support volunteer privacy, such as ensuring that records do not inadvertently fall into the hands of insurance agencies. But privacy in ecology and field science projects has been much less discussed. We expand these efforts by focusing on location-based privacy concerns, which are particularly relevant to ecological monitoring campaigns.

Helen Nissenbaum’s theory of Contextual Integrity suggests that individuals form and express privacy concerns based on a mix of unique contextual factors. By applying the theory of contextual integrity to citizen science, our project will examine a range of factors that may impact practitioners’ and volunteers’ privacy concerns, and how these concerns are addressed. Key factors may include data type, project type, volunteer role, interpersonal relationships, power structures, social norms, unique motivations, and general values. This presentation describes results from pilot interviews with both practitioners and volunteers involved with projects that collect potentially sensitive data about location. Findings from the analysis of these interviews will inform a best practices guide for supporting volunteer privacy taking into account institutional realities and other constraints.

By voicing these important questions at Citizen Science 2015 and reporting on early findings, we expect to inspire other attendees to think critically about volunteer privacy in citizen science. We also plan to recruit additional projects and volunteers to contribute to our work.