Setting Privacy “by Default” in Social IoT: Theorizing the Challenges and Directions in Big Data Research

Abstract The social Internet of Things (SIoT) shares large amounts of data that are then processed by other Internet of Thing (IoT) devices, which results in the generation, collection, and treatment of databases to be analyzed afterwards with Big Data techniques. This paradigm has given rise to users' concerns about their privacy, particularly with regard to whether users have to use a smart handling (self-establishment and self-management) in order to correctly install the SIoT, ensuring the privacy of the SIot-generated content and data. In this context, the present study aims to identify and explore the main perspectives that define user privacy in the SIoT; our ultimate goal is to accumulate new knowledge on the adoption and use of the concept of privacy “by default” in the scientific literature. To this end, we undertake a literature review of the main contributions on the topic of privacy in SIoT and Big Data processing. Based on the results, we formulate the following five areas of application of SIoT, including 29 key points relative to the concept of privacy “by default”: (i) SIoT data collection and privacy; (ii) SIoT security; (iii) threats for SIoT devices; (iv) SIoT devices mandatory functions; and (v) SIoT and Big Data processing and analytics. In addition, we outline six research propositions and discuss six challenges for the SIoT industry. The results are theorized for the future development of research on SIoT privacy by “default” and Big Data processing.