Methods for Conserving Privacy in Workflow Controlled Smart Environments

In the last years context-aware workflow systems have gained more and more importance. However, in research little emphasis has been put on workplace privacy and humane system design. It is the aim of this paper to give an overview on the effects of combining workflow systems and context-aware systems and to discuss its implications for workplace privacy and human-oriented design. Different methods are to be depicted that help to overcome certain ethical problems thus allowing for the development of acceptable, justified and justifiable technical solutions which are likely to be also adopted by its latter users. Finally a “best practice” prototype is to be presented which implements the introduced methods.