Whose Policy? Privacy Challenges of Decentralized Platforms

In CHI '23 Workshops: Designing Technology and Policy Simultaneously: Towards A Research Agenda and New Practice

2 Pages Posted: 24 Apr 2023

See all articles by Sohyeon Hwang

Sohyeon Hwang

Department of Communication Studies

Priyanka Nanayakkara

Northwestern University

Yan Shvartzshnaider

York Univesity, Lassonde School Of Engineering

Date Written: February 23, 2023

Abstract

In this position paper, we examine 100 privacy policies on Mastodon, a decentralized social networking platform, to reflect on the relationship between policy and technology design. The resurgence of interest in decentralized platforms is closely tied to concerns of data governance and user autonomy on their large, centralized counterparts. A key advantage of decentralized platforms is the opportunity for users to tailor the privacy policies and protocols governing their information and content. Despite this, servers in our sample overwhelmingly use the same generic privacy policy text. Furthermore, ambiguities in the dominant text prompt questions about whether implementations of the same policy differ in practice, how generic policies may fail to reflect user preferences, and what challenges arise when coordinating a decentralized network of communities and their policies.

Keywords: privacy, contextual integrity, online communities, decentralized social networks

Suggested Citation

Hwang, Sohyeon and Nanayakkara, Priyanka and Shvartzshnaider, Yan, Whose Policy? Privacy Challenges of Decentralized Platforms (February 23, 2023). In CHI '23 Workshops: Designing Technology and Policy Simultaneously: Towards A Research Agenda and New Practice, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4416746 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4416746

Sohyeon Hwang (Contact Author)

Department of Communication Studies ( email )

70 Arts Circle Drive
Office of the Dean
Evanston, IL 60208
United States

Priyanka Nanayakkara

Northwestern University ( email )

Yan Shvartzshnaider

York Univesity, Lassonde School Of Engineering ( email )

4700 Keele Street
Toronto, Ontario M3J 1P3
Canada

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