El texto completo de este trabajo no está disponible en el Repositorio Académico UPC por restricciones de la casa editorial donde ha sido publicado. / The micro financial sector is a strategic element in the economy of developing countries since it facilitates the integration and development of all social classes and let the economic growth. In this point is the growth of data is high every day in sector like the micro financial, resulting from transactions and operations carried out with these companies on a daily basis. Appropriate management of the personal data privacy policies is therefore necessary because, otherwise, it will comply with personal data protection laws and regulations and let take quality information for decision-making and process improvement. The present study proposes a personal data protection maturity model based on international standards of privacy and information security, which also reveals personal data protection capabilities in organizations. Finally, the study proposes a diagnostic and tracing assessment tool that was carried out for five companies in the micro financial sector and the obtained results were analyzed to validate the model and to help in success of data protection initiatives. / Revisión por pares

Freedom of Speech and its Postmodern Challenges in Perspectives of European and American Theory and Case Law Abstract This dissertation entitled Free Speech and its Postmodern Challenges in Perspectives of European and American Theory and Case Law joins a vibrant conversation about the changing nature of free speech in the digital era. The internet, both as a communication technology and a multimedia platform, has fundamentally transformed the world around us: political, legal, media, economic and other important dimensions of our postmodern society. As internet expanded and became almost omnipresent, it also emerged as an essential domain for freedom of speech, becoming a new public square, newspapers, radio and TV. This new and inter- connected digital cosmopolis introduced brand-new legal challenges, reflecting the inherent tension between the global virtual community and local legal rules and systems. The purpose of this disseration is to modestly contribute to the current discourse and to introduce some complexities of this brave new world of digital free speech. The internet, particularly Internet 2.0 in the era of social networks, redefined the rules of the game, transformed the field as well as the players. The new pluralist model of digital free speech can be portrayed as a structure with complex...

While the newly envisioned Smart(er) Grid (SG) will result in a more efficient and reliable power grid, its collection and use of fine-grained meter data has widely raised concerns on consumer privacy. While a number of approaches are available for preserving consumer privacy, these approaches are mostly not very practical to be used due to two reasons: First, since the data is hidden, this reduces the ability of the utility company to use the data for distribution state estimation. Secondly and more importantly, the approaches were not tested under realistic wireless infrastructures that are currently in use. In this thesis, a meter data obfuscation approach to preserve consumer privacy is proposed to implement that has the ability to perform distribution state estimation. Then, its performance on LTE and a large-scale Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) network built upon the new IEEE 802.11s wireless mesh standard are assessed. LTE/EPC(Evolved Packet Core) model is used between the gateway and the utility. EPC's goal is to improve network performance by the separation of control and data planes and through a flattened IP architecture, which reduces the hierarchy between mobile data elements. Using obfuscation values provided via this approach, the meter readings are obfuscated to protect consumer privacy from eavesdroppers and the utility companies while preserving the utility companies' ability to use the data for state estimation.The impact of this approach on data throughput, delay and packet delivery ratio under a variety of conditions are assessed.

While the newly envisioned smart grid will result in a more efficient and reliable power grid, its use of fine-grained meter data has widely raised concerns of consumer privacy. This thesis implements a data obfuscation approach to preserve consumer privacy and assesses its feasibility on a large-scale advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) network built upon the new IEEE 802.11s wireless mesh standard. This obfuscation approach preserves consumer privacy from eavesdroppers and the utility companies while preserving the utility companies' ability to use the fine-grained meter data for state estimation. The impact of this privacy approach is assessed based on its impact on data throughput and delay performance. Simulation results have shown that the approach is feasible to be used even when the network size grows. Additional adaptations to the approach are analyzed for their feasibility in further research.

abstract: Very little experimental work has been done to investigate the psychological underpinnings of perceptions of privacy. This issue is especially pressing with the advent of powerful and inexpensive technologies that allow access to all but our most private thoughts -and these too are at risk (Farah, Smith, Gawuga, Lindsell, &Foster;, 2009). Recently the Supreme Court ruled that the use of a global positioning system (GPS) device to covertly follow a criminal suspect, without first obtaining a search warrant, is a violation of a suspect's fourth amendment right to protection from unlawful search and seizure (United States v. Jones, 2012). However, the Court has also ruled in the past that a law enforcement officer can covertly follow a suspect's vehicle and collect the same information without a search warrant and this is not considered a violation of the suspect's rights (Katz v. United States). In the case of GPS surveillance the Supreme Court Justices did not agree on whether the GPS device constituted a trespassing violation because it was placed on the suspect's vehicle (the majority) or if it violated a person's reasonable expectation of privacy. This incongruence is an example of how the absence of a clear and predictable model of privacy makes it difficult for even the country's highest moral authority to articulate when and why privacy has been violated. This research investigated whether public perceptions of support for the use of each surveillance technique also vary across different monitoring types that collect the same information and whether these differences are mediated by similar factors as argued by the Supreme Court. Results suggest that under some circumstances participants do demonstrate differential support and this is mediated by a general privacy concern. However, under other circumstances differential support is the result of an interaction between the type of monitoring and its cost to employ -not simply type; this differential support was mediated by both perceived violations of private-space and general privacy. Results are discussed in terms of how these findings might contribute to understanding the psychological foundation of perceived privacy violations and how they might inform policy decision. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.S. Psychology 2012

Defecation has remained overlooked within anthropology and sociology, despite recent focus on the body. The thesis suggests that this is related to its construction as something hidden in the last few hundred years of modern Western society. It is physically and mentally dismissed as personal and biological rather than social or cultural. The few references that exist enable one to argue that it always has significance as a repetitive daily activity needing careful social management and which is crucial to the definition of personhood. Its praxis reveals much about social values concerning differentiation by age, sex, gender and generation. Freud, Elias, Bakhtin and Douglas have influenced its image but do not adequately explain it. Phenomenological theories of embodiment and ideas of cultural performance are shown to be more useful in demonstrating that defecation is a lived cultural experience. The focus is on contemporary Britain, studied through participant observation and day-to-day participation, using material from conversations, anecdotes, observations, experiences, media reports, novels, and films encountered during the period of research. The main themes that emerge are privacy, hiddenness, embarrassment and concern but also that it is welcomed as physical release, and as offering valued periods of time-out and solitude. It is also a symbol of both all that is low and all that is deep. These contradictions are analysed through the two axes of control/loss of control and release/containment. It is argued against recent medical anthropological and sociological studies of incontinence that it cannot be assumed that the opposite of incontinence is continence and containment. The issue of control is paramount, rather than the issue of containment in itself.

The prevalent use of the Internet not only brings with it numerous advantages, but also some drawbacks. The biggest of these problems is the threat to the individual’s personal privacy. This privacy issue is playing a growing role with respect to technological advancements. While new service-based technologies are considerably increasing the scope of information flow, the cost is a loss of control over personal information and therefore privacy. Existing privacy protection measures might fail to provide effective privacy protection in these new environments. This dissertation focuses on the use of new technologies to improve the levels of personal privacy. In this regard the WSP3 (Web Service Model for Personal Privacy Protection) model is formulated. This model proposes a privacy protection scheme using Web Services. Having received tremendous industry backing, Web Services is a very topical technology, promising much in the evolution of the Internet. In our society privacy is highly valued and a very important issue. Protecting personal privacy in environments using new technologies is crucial for their future success. These facts, combined with the detail that the WSP3 model focusses on Web Service environments, lead to the following realizations for the model: The WSP3 model provides users with control over their personal information and allows them to express their desired level of privacy. Parties requiring access to a user’s information are explicitly defined by the user, as well as the information available to them. The WSP3 model utilizes a Web Services architecture to provide privacy protection. In addition, it integrates security techniques, such as cryptography, into the architecture as required. The WSP3 model integrates with current standards to maintain their benefits. This allows the implementation of the model in any environment supporting these base technologies. In addition, the research involves the development of a prototype according to the model. This prototype serves to present a proof-of-concept by illustrating the WSP3 model and all the technologies involved. The WSP3 model gives users control over their privacy and allows everyone to decide their own level of protection. By incorporating Web Services, the model also shows how new technologies can be used to offer solutions to existing problem areas.

In our thesis we use a preventive approach to stop privacy-invasive software (PIS) from entering the system. We aim at increasing the user awareness about the background activities of the software. These activities are implicitly written in End User License Agreement (EULA). We are using a multi-layer user notification approach to increase the user awareness and help him make a good decision, which is in accordance with the European legal framework. A proof of concept tool is developed that will use the user preferences to present the EULA in a compact and understandable form thereby helping the user in deciding with the installation of a software.

This qualitative descriptive study explores privacy issues on social networking sites among young Kuwaiti females and their behavior when protecting their information. In this study, two of the most prominent social networking sites in Kuwait were selected to investigate Kuwaiti females’ privacy concerns. These platforms are Instagram and Twitter. The research was guided by two questions: What information do Kuwaiti females disclose on Instagram and Twitter? How do Instagram and Twitter differ in managing privacy? Participants of this research are 15 young Kuwait females studying at Kuwait university in different educational fields. The data collection method used was semi-structured, face-to-face interviews. This method helped gaining a deeper understanding of their privacy views and SNS use. The findings revealed many issues voiced by young Kuwaiti females, such as the type of information shared on both platforms, their privacy concerns, cultural beliefs, and other influences that shaped their Instagram and Twitter use.

Users face location-privacy risks when accessing Location-Based Services (LBSs) in an Opportunistic Mobile Social Networks (OMSNs). In order to protect the original requester's identity and location, we propose two location privacy obfuscation protocols utilizing social ties between users. The first one is called Multi-Hop Location-Privacy Protection (MHLPP) protocol. To increase chances of completing obfuscation operations, users detect and make contacts with one-hop or multi-hop neighbor friends in social networks. Encrypted obfuscation queries avoid users learning important information especially the original requester's identity and location except for trusted users. Simulation results show that our protocol can give a higher query success ratio compared to its existing counterpart. The second protocol is called Appointment Card Protocol (ACP). To facilitate the obfuscation operations of queries, we introduce the concept called Appointment Card (AC). The original requesters can send their queries to the LBS directly using the information in the AC, ensuring that the original requester is not detected by the LBS. Also, a path for reply message is kept when the query is sent, to help reduce time for replying queries. Simulation results show that our protocol preserves location privacy and has a higher query success ratio than its counterparts. We have also developed a new OMSN simulator, called OMSN Routing Simulator (ORS), for simulating OMSN protocols more efficiently and effectively for reliable performance.