Information Producers, Information Consumers: Location Data Privacy in Institutional Settings

The move towards ubiquitous computing, particularly in the realm of transportation services, has resulted in the creation of vast data sets. Data sets such as those created through RFID-tagged goods and services, cellular and smartphone use, mobile and location-sensing applications (or “apps”), and GPS navigation devices may contain large stores of personally identifying information, or information that may be personally identifying in the presence of related data sets. Current practices regarding the collection, storage, sharing, and dissemination of these data sets may not adequately protect the privacy of persons on whom data have been collected. This paper endeavors to, first, outline the privacy concerns underlying the locational data sets increasingly becoming publicly available. Next, the authors review the privacy preserving practices that may be used by persons in the “data chain” to ensure protection of private data in the areas of data collection, storage, sharing and use. Finally, a process by which recommended practices reviewed here may be implemented in an institutional setting is presented in order to frame a pragmatic understanding of the responsibilities of various actors with respect to protecting the privacy of individuals. It is hoped that this review will provide a framework for enhanced understanding of the implications of increased locational and personally identifying information collection on the need to responsibly manage this sensitive data.

• 
• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper was sponsored by TRB committee AB000(1) Data Privacy, Security and Protection Policy.
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • Cottrill, Caitlin D
• Conference:
  • Transportation Research Board 93rd Annual Meeting
  • Location: Washington DC
  • Date: 2014-1-12 to 2014-1-16
• Date: 2014

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: References;
• Pagination: 19p
• Monograph Title: TRB 93rd Annual Meeting Compendium of Papers

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Data collection; Data files; Data sharing; Data storage; Global Positioning System; Information dissemination; Mobile communication systems; Privacy; Radio frequency identification; Transportation planning
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Planning and Forecasting; Transportation (General); I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01515816
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 14-1194
• Files: PRP, TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Feb 25 2014 9:15AM