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A Conceptual Model for Assessing Privacy Risk

Supervisors

Suitable for

MSc in Advanced Computer Science
Computer Science, Part B
Mathematics and Computer Science, Part C
Computer Science and Philosophy, Part C
Computer Science, Part C

Abstract

Privacy is not a binary concept, the level of privacy enjoyed by an individual or organisation will depend upon the context within which it is being considered; the more data at attacker has access to the more potential there may be for privacy compromise. We lack a model which considers the different contexts that exist in current systems, which would underpin a measurement system for determining the level of privacy risk that might be faced. This project would seek to develop a prototype model – based on a survey of known privacy breaches and common practices in data sharing. The objective being to propose a method by which privacy risk might be considered taking into consideration the variety of (threat and data-sharing) contexts that any particular person or organisation might be subjected to. It is likely that a consideration of the differences and similarities of the individual or organisational points of view will need to be made, since the nature of contexts faced could be quite diverse.