RESEARCHER: Alfred Kobsa


Awareness mechanisms are part of many frequently-used collaborative software systems, such as instant messaging systems, configuration management systems, and social networking sites. One of the major impediments faced by awareness mechanisms is privacy concerns, since collaborative needs for awareness are often at odds with individuals’ desires for privacy. Insufficient attention to these concerns may undermine the usage of a collaborative system. In such a case, organizations stand to lose their investment in the collaborative technology.

This research is supported by the National Science Foundation. First results indicate that the inability to seamlessly achieve a balance between awareness and privacy can indeed lead to suboptimal use of a collaborative system (e.g., people don’t use IM to discuss issues they deem sensitive, or change the awareness information in a deceptive manner). The research also indicates that privacy desire is causally determined by a desire for impression management. The results have been presented at leading conferences and book chapters, and are currently being submitted for journal publication.