Internetsociologi

Ett EU-finansierat projekt, Primelife, har inrättats för att utveckla internetlösningar och applikationer som ska leda till en ökad personlig integritet samt diskutera identitetshantering på internet. Från Sverige deltar Karlstads universitet och dess datavetenskapliga avdelning i projektet.

Individuals in the Information Society want to protect their autonomy and retain control over personal information, irrespective of their activities. Information technologies hardly consider these requirements, thereby putting the privacy of the citizen at risk. Today, the increasingly collaborative character of the Internet enables anyone to compose services and to contribute and distribute information. Throughout their life with all its different facets, individuals will leave a trail of personal data. This enables various drawbacks for citizens and forms of unforeseen data use not endorsed by the citizens concerned. Employers access applicants’ online community profiles before inviting them to a job interview. Social networks in different countries have used details of customer’s online shopping habits or personal preferences without their permission. Such incidents raise substantial new privacy challenges:

1. how to protect privacy in emerging Internet applications such as collaborative scenarios and virtual communities
2. how to maintain life-long control over one’s private sphere.