Workshop – Shaping Privacy in Future Telecommunication Network (6G)

Call for Think Pieces & Participation

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) recently announced the features and capabilities of the sixth generation of mobile networks, which are expected to be deployed around 2030. Amongst others, the ITU envisions “Integrated multi-dimensional sensing to improve assis­ted navi­gation, and high-precision positioning including object and presence detection, locali­zation, imaging and map­ping” which is considered “a key enabler for a wide range of use cases”. Integrating the sensing of objects (including human beings) as well as the environment in general into the telecommunication infrastructure as a general ubiquitous feature has severe privacy implications. This sensing does not only affect users of the systems but also bystanders who are not users of the system but just part of the environment.

Remarkably in the ITU announcement privacy is only addressed as part of security in the system, which might not adequately address the meanings of privacy as well as the deep implications such tech­nology could have for society.

At the same time, legal regulations on data protection (e.g. GDPR) are designed around the concept of informed consent. This approach reaches its limits in scenarios of ubiquitous sensing where everyone could accidentally be subject of personal-identifiable information processing. The intended develop­ments mentioned above pose challenges to established practices and ways of thinking.

Because of these risks and challenges, we aim to bring together researchers and practitioners from different domains like social science, humanities, law, computer science or regulatory bodies. We want to foster the discussion about differentiating the risks and understanding the limits of the current legal as well as the technical situation and explore possible future solutions for enhancing privacy in beyond 5G systems.

Given the ongoing specification process, the window of opportunity to shape the development and outcomes of the development of 6G is now.

Workshop Description

The workshop is intended as an interdisciplinary gathering. It aims to explore the problem as well as the solution space of privacy in 6G in general. Therefore, we are open to contributions from any discipline.

Possible solutions might range from proposing new laws and regulations to ensure legal certainty up to implementing transparency solutions in which subjects are at least made aware of being “sensed”.

The workshop is intended to foster a productive discussion and exchange of views and ideas. Participation does not oblige to present something although input is welcome.

The workshop participants are invited to formulate a think piece (up to 4 pages but may also simply have the extent of an abstract) ahead of the gathering which will be distributed to other participants before the workshop, allowing everyone to read and think about it.

During the workshop participants can shortly present their ideas which are then discussed in an interdisciplinary discourse.

As output of the event, we intend anything from some kind of collective position paper to a scientific paper, depending on the outcomes of the discussion.

We plan to have on the first day an introduction to the technical environment of 6G as well as an overview of a data protection impact assessment through the lens of the “The Standard Data Protection Model (Standard-Datenschutz-Modell)”.

Organizers

The workshop will be organised in cooperation with the project “DIPCY – Disruptions of networked privacy” and the Barkhausen Institute.

The project DIPCY is part of the research network “Disruption and societal change” of TU Dresden and is an interdisciplinary project that is interested in privacy implications in the IoT and the bystander problem, especially the use of voice assistants and the corresponding implications for privacy.

The Barkhausen Institute is working on trustworthiness for the Internet of Things and is a partner in several 6G-related projects including the national 6G flagship project “6G-Platform” as well as the European 6G-flagship project “Hexa-X-II”.

Date and Location

The workshop will take place on 5^th and 6^th of June 2024 in the rooms of the Barkhausen Institute, Schweriner Straße 1, 01067 Dresden. Details will be published on the website.

Draft Agenda

Contact and Registration and Costs

For simple participation please write an E-Mail to the organizers by: 30.05.2024.

If you want to submit a think piece, please submit it by: 15.05.2024.

There are no costs for participating. We do not refund expenses for participation.

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