User-centric privacy-preserving collection and analysis of trajectory data

Abstract

Due to the increasing use of location-aware devices such as smartphones, there is a large amount of available trajectory data whose improper use or publication can threaten users' privacy. Since trajectory information contains personal mobility data, it may reveal sensitive details like habits of behavior, religious beliefs, and sexual preferences. Current solutions focus on anonymizing data before its publication. Nevertheless, we argue that this approach gives the user no control about the information she shares. For this reason, we propose a novel approach that works inside users' mobile devices, where users can decide and configure the quantity and accuracy of shared data.