Joe Newman

Bio: Joe Newman is an academic researcher from Future of Privacy Forum. The author has contributed to research in topics: Privacy policy & Information privacy. The author has an hindex of 1, co-authored 1 publications receiving 7 citations.

Press Start to Track?: Privacy and the New Questions Posed by Modern Videogame Technology

Abstract: Advances in technology – particularly in the field of online communications – have revolutionized the way modern videogames are made and experienced. The evolution of many games from standalone products to constantly updating online services has all but upended the industry, creating new game features, new types of interactivity, and new monetization strategies. Mining player data has incredible potential to benefit both developers and players alike. Nevertheless, the shift to games as a service also means that players must put their faith in developers to consistently respect their personal privacy.Today, videogames collect and generate enormous amounts of information about their players, much of which may be considered highly sensitive. This data includes information relating to the real world, ranging from a player’s voice or physical appearance to his location or social network. It also includes detailed information from the player’s actions within the game world, which may be analyzed to create in-depth profiles of a player’s cognitive abilities and personality. Information collected within a game has many uses both within and outside the gaming ecosystem. Among other things, a player’s psychographic information can be used to create personalized gaming experiences, drive educational games, and dynamically adjust a game’s difficulty or mechanics to keep players engaged (and spending money). This paper surveys some of these applications, revealing the potential for both major innovations in the games industry as well as major risks for player privacy and trust.The game industry must confront and address the privacy issues raised by player data collection, lest it becomes the latest scandal to draw the ire of policymakers, parents, and players. This paper briefly surveys the many laws, agreements, and regulations that affect data collection and use by games, such as the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), intellectual property laws, international privacy law, the Federal Trade Commission’s Section 5 authority, and other relevant frameworks. Privacy guidelines for developers remain underdeveloped when it comes to fully capturing player’s privacy expectations. Rather than proposing strict rules or attempting to balance benefits to players versus harms, this paper simply aims to show where users are most likely to be unpleasantly surprised by data use. By better understanding player’s privacy expectations, developers will be better able to reduce surprise and foster player trust.

Commercial video games as therapy: a new research agenda to unlock the potential of a global pastime

Abstract: Emerging research suggests that commercial, off-the-shelf video games have potential applications in preventive and therapeutic medicine. Despite these promising findings, systematic efforts to characterize and better understand this potential have not been undertaken. Serious academic study of the therapeutic potential of commercial video games faces several challenges, including a lack of standard terminology, rapidly changing technology, societal attitudes toward video games, and understanding and accounting for complex interactions between individual, social, and cultural health determinants. As a vehicle to launch a new interdisciplinary research agenda, the present paper provides background information on the use of commercial video games for the prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation of mental and other health conditions, and discusses ongoing grassroots efforts by online communities to use video games for healing and recovery.

Data privacy: Users' thoughts on quantified self personal data

Abstract: The logging of personal data has been shown to offer many benefits for those wanting to, for example, get fitter, get stronger or get to know themselves better. In this chapter, we concentrate on the privacy values attributed to Quantified-Self (QS) data. Using evidence taken from research interviews, this chapter reviews privacy in relation to personal data and offers an empirical perspective on how QS users view and value the data they collect, and often display publically, as well as their attitudes towards the handling of their data by QS device manufacturers. We question appreciations of privacy in QS data and elaborate on how users value their QS privacy.

PvP: Profiling Versus Player! Exploiting Gaming Data for Player Recognition

Abstract: Video games Industry generated 150$ billion (approx. two times Facebook revenue) and involved one-third of the world population, in 2019 only. It is not hard to imagine how this attracted cyber-criminals, e.g.: 77 million PlayStation Network accounts were compromised in 2011; in 2015 Steam reported more than 70 thousand victims of scam monthly; cyberbullism events are also frequently reported. Being able to recognize gamers leveraging their gaming data could help to mitigate these issues, e.g., harmful players that are banned could be found again in all the other profiles they own. On the other side, this capability could be a further tool in the hand of cyber-criminals.

Incorporating Privacy into Digital Game Platform Design: The What, Why, and How

Abstract: The gaming industry collects players' data to gain more revenue and improve the player experience; however, player privacy concerns and consent complicate these goals. An iterative approach incorporates privacy-sensitive data into digital game platform design, alleviating possible negative effects of privacy-sensitive data use.

Privacy Risks in Intelligent User Interfaces

Abstract: Intelligent user interfaces (in games, for example) provide opportunities for producing a high-quality, contextually relevant user experience. However, they also raise the specter of privacy violations. The authors review some of the ways in which user interfaces could glean a users private information; then the authors highlight the risks therein, and discuss ways of mitigating those risks.