Influence of the Privacy Issue in the Deployment and Design of Networking Robots in European Urban Areas

Abstract

In this paper we analyze how the privacy issue will affect the deployment and design of networking robots in European urban areas. Privacy means the way to guarantee self control on private data that can be processed by networked robots. We start by analyzing the technical capabilities of networked robots in public and private spaces, the legal framework and technical solutions. Then, we present the main European Directives and how they affect networked robots. Next, we discuss the legal criteria for privacy compliance, analyzing the surveillance utilities and the wireless communication systems. We also discuss the current legal framework for ubiquitous computing and analyze the anonymous processing for mobility management purposes using a Bluetooth scanning sensor. Finally, we present some open questions.