A Privacy-Aware Framework Integration into a Human-in-the-Loop IoT System

The progressive incorporation of humans as active players within the Internet of Things domain, has positioned the smartphone as one of the main elements of this environment. The multiple functionalities that this device offers, along with its rapid evolution, have benefited usability, thus improving user experience, making this appliance a versatile pocket assistant. Nowadays, these devices comprise a large number of special-purpose sensors capable of collecting a variety of information, that along with the data from other mobile applications such as online social networks, is the fuel for new IoT systems. Much of this data is used to offer innovative services in several areas, making the smartphone an ideal medium for acquiring information. Unfortunately, the control of data flows between smartphones and new IoT systems is scarce, triggering concerns around users’ privacy. Also, we could add to the list the limited privacy preservation mechanisms in current mobile operating systems. It is for this reason that this article aims to propose a privacy-preserving framework that can be integrated into people-centric IoT systems. Besides introducing the architecture of our PACHA framework, the manuscript will present the new vision of our ISABELA platform derived from the integration with the privacy-preserving model.