Introduction to Security and Privacy

This chapter on Security and Privacy builds on two aspects central to digital humanism: (1) self-determination and (2) humans in the center. Security refers to a system being in a state of protection against potential threats and risks; what this means specifically depends on the so-called security requirements (Bishop, IEEE Security and Privacy, 1(1), 67–69, 2003). Typically, this pertains to protecting data’s (1) confidentiality, (2) integrity, and (3) availability. Thus, security mechanisms are designed to prevent unauthorized access, use, disclosure, disruption, modification, or destruction. Privacy is the individual’s fundamental right to determine and limit who has access to their personal information and experiences, ensuring their ability to maintain personal boundaries, confidentiality, and freedom from unauthorized surveillance (Bélanger and Crossler, Privacy in the digital age: A review of information privacy research in information systems. MIS Quarterly, pp. 1017–1041, 2011). Security and privacy are of utmost importance in this increasingly connected world, as they can help protect individuals, companies, and organizations from data breaches, identity theft, and other malicious attacks. The goals of digital humanism are to shape technologies in accordance with human values and needs, instead of allowing technologies to shape humans. Our task is not only to rein in the downsides of information and communication technologies but to encourage human-centered innovation (Werthner, The Vienna manifesto on digital humanism. In Digital transformation and ethics (pp. 338–357). Ecowin, 2020). In the following sections, we will analyze security requirements that can compromise these goals and show which security mechanisms can be employed to protect them. Both security and even more privacy are central to digital humanism—also mentioned as one of its principles.