I thought you were okay: Participatory Design with Young Adults to Fight Multiparty Privacy Conflicts in Online Social Networks

Abstract

Although sharing multimedia content on online social networks (OSNs) has many benefits, publishing photos or videos of other people - without obtaining permission - can cause multiparty privacy conflicts (MPCs). Early studies developed technical solutions and dissuasive approaches to address MPCs. However, none of these studies involved, in the design process, the OSN users who have experienced MPCs. Hence, they possibly overlooked the valuable experiences these individuals have accrued. To fill this gap, we recruited participants specifically from this population of users, and we involved them in participatory design sessions to find solutions to reduce the incidence of MPCs. To frame the activities of our participants, we borrowed terminology and concepts from a well-known framework used in the justice systems. Over the course of several design sessions, our participants designed 10 solutions to mitigate MPCs. The designed solutions are based on different mechanisms, including preventing MPCs from occurring, dissuading users from sharing, resolving the conflicts, and educating users about community standards. We discuss the open design and research opportunities suggested by the designed solutions and contribute an ideal workflow that synthesizes the best of each solution. We contribute to the innovation of privacy-enhancing technologies to limit the incidence of MPCs in OSNs.