21st Jun 2017
How might we...
...enable people to define & enforce their own data policies
Controlling cookies everywhere
Terms of service and cookie policies often go undesigned, but focusing on them can provide a great opportunity for innovation to flip from users accepting service terms to services accepting users' terms.
Product Context
A marketplace add-on for Google Play, iTunes Store or similar that allows people to see if an app they want to download and use matches their personal cookie policy. It also keeps track of what they've consented to over time.
Problem & Opportunity
Managing personal data can very often become a frustrating and confusing, if not overwhelming, experience. What a paradox, when most of our everyday technologies rely on personal data to operate!
How can understanding and interacting with data become more intuitive and data management become a handy, 'right out of the box' experience that knows what you want when it comes to privacy.
Design Features
Setting and controlling privacy across apps
This operating system feature could be defined as a 'privacy by default' assistant. The assistant allows people to set up cookie preferences that will be applied across all apps and even before downloading on their device. The assistant explains what cookies can be used for in an educational way and these will be applied across all current apps and any new apps downloaded in the future.
Design Features
Flipping from users accepting service terms to a service accepting users' terms
When an app doesn't match with a person's cookie preferences, a notification in the marketplace says, 'This app uses cookies you have not agreed to.' It also highlights this disconnect when the person enters their store password or uses Touch ID. The interface gives people information and choice without having to read each app's terms of service.
Design Features
Visualising cookie use and value exchange
Through an overview panel, the data being accessed by a service and its value exchange is made clear, showing people how their service will be impacted.
A timeline allows people to see when and for what purpose they gave consent and when the cookie was last used. They can also return to the control panel to edit cookie preferences at any time.
Next steps
Pop-ups appear to be a first step towards the establishment of a dialogue between people and their data. Using conversational AI, other teams have explored what could be a promising way to manage privacy.
