Master's Thesis Faisal Ahmed

Supporting Nonexperts in Choosing Appropriate Privacy-Enhancing Technologies

Abstract:

As the world gets more conscious about privacy and data security, stakeholders are relentlessly searching for better and more tailored privacy-enhancing techniques (PETs). As a result, there are so many such techniques available, it’s easy to get overwhelmed with all the complexities and options. The main purpose of this thesis is to look at the state of the art in PET, analyze different methods’ pros and cons in various scenarios using quantifiable metrics, and finally create a guideline that would help non-experts choose a suitable technique for their specific use cases.

Research Questions:

1. What are the state-of-the-art privacy-preserving techniques and their distinct characteristics?

2. What are the different scenarios where privacy preservation is required and their corresponding basic requirements?

3. How to guide the decision-making process to allow diverse stakeholders make informed decisions about the use of an appropriate privacy-preserving technique?