---
_id: '66638'
abstract:
- lang: eng
text: Smart cities promise safer streets, smoother traffic, and more efficient services,
enabled by dense networks of urban sensors. Yet this infrastructure, often unnoticed
by citizens, introduces pervasive privacy risks, from tracking, profiling, and
sensitive inferences to subtle forms of self-censorship. Despite widespread deployment,
little is known about how the public understands and perceives these sensing systems.
To address this gap, we present an intervention based user study (n = 172) in
which participants are exposed to data collection by six urban sensors, including
cameras and alternative technologies commonly framed as privacy-preserving. Participants
encounter either the sensors alone or sensors accompanied by real-time data visualizations.
Our results reveal widespread misunderstanding of some sensors (radar, LiDAR,
Wi-Fi, depth, and thermal imaging sensors), particularly their capacity for identification
and for attribute inferences such as gender or age. We also identify persistent
misconceptions, including the belief that Wi-Fi poses privacy risks only when
users connect to public networks. While making sensors visible and visualizing
collected data improves privacy awareness, these measures alone are not enough
for citizens to understand the actual risks of urban sensing. We derive recommendations
for privacy-respecting smart city environments grounded in citizens’ informational
needs and expectations.
author:
- first_name: Julian
full_name: Todt, Julian
last_name: Todt
- first_name: Emiram
full_name: Kablo, Emiram
id: '46433'
last_name: Kablo
- first_name: Felix
full_name: Morsbach, Felix
last_name: Morsbach
- first_name: Patricia
full_name: Arias Cabarcos, Patricia
id: '92804'
last_name: Arias Cabarcos
- first_name: Thorsten
full_name: Strufe, Thorsten
last_name: Strufe
citation:
ama: 'Todt J, Kablo E, Morsbach F, Arias Cabarcos P, Strufe T. “The city isn’t uploading
me to TikTok”: Exploring Privacy Attitudes towards Data Collection in Urban Public
Spaces. Proceedings on Privacy Enhancing Technologies. 2026;2026(4):7-35.
doi:10.56553/popets-2026-0108'
apa: 'Todt, J., Kablo, E., Morsbach, F., Arias Cabarcos, P., & Strufe, T. (2026).
“The city isn’t uploading me to TikTok”: Exploring Privacy Attitudes towards Data
Collection in Urban Public Spaces. Proceedings on Privacy Enhancing Technologies,
2026(4), 7–35. https://doi.org/10.56553/popets-2026-0108'
bibtex: '@article{Todt_Kablo_Morsbach_Arias Cabarcos_Strufe_2026, title={“The city
isn’t uploading me to TikTok”: Exploring Privacy Attitudes towards Data Collection
in Urban Public Spaces}, volume={2026}, DOI={10.56553/popets-2026-0108},
number={4}, journal={Proceedings on Privacy Enhancing Technologies}, publisher={Privacy
Enhancing Technologies Symposium Advisory Board}, author={Todt, Julian and Kablo,
Emiram and Morsbach, Felix and Arias Cabarcos, Patricia and Strufe, Thorsten},
year={2026}, pages={7–35} }'
chicago: 'Todt, Julian, Emiram Kablo, Felix Morsbach, Patricia Arias Cabarcos, and
Thorsten Strufe. “‘The City Isn’t Uploading Me to TikTok’: Exploring Privacy Attitudes
towards Data Collection in Urban Public Spaces.” Proceedings on Privacy Enhancing
Technologies 2026, no. 4 (2026): 7–35. https://doi.org/10.56553/popets-2026-0108.'
ieee: 'J. Todt, E. Kablo, F. Morsbach, P. Arias Cabarcos, and T. Strufe, “‘The city
isn’t uploading me to TikTok’: Exploring Privacy Attitudes towards Data Collection
in Urban Public Spaces,” Proceedings on Privacy Enhancing Technologies,
vol. 2026, no. 4, pp. 7–35, 2026, doi: 10.56553/popets-2026-0108.'
mla: 'Todt, Julian, et al. “‘The City Isn’t Uploading Me to TikTok’: Exploring Privacy
Attitudes towards Data Collection in Urban Public Spaces.” Proceedings on Privacy
Enhancing Technologies, vol. 2026, no. 4, Privacy Enhancing Technologies Symposium
Advisory Board, 2026, pp. 7–35, doi:10.56553/popets-2026-0108.'
short: J. Todt, E. Kablo, F. Morsbach, P. Arias Cabarcos, T. Strufe, Proceedings
on Privacy Enhancing Technologies 2026 (2026) 7–35.
date_created: 2026-08-03T10:46:58Z
date_updated: 2026-08-03T10:49:58Z
department:
- _id: '679'
doi: 10.56553/popets-2026-0108
intvolume: ' 2026'
issue: '4'
language:
- iso: eng
main_file_link:
- open_access: '1'
url: https://petsymposium.org/popets/2026/popets-2026-0108.php
oa: '1'
page: 7-35
publication: Proceedings on Privacy Enhancing Technologies
publication_identifier:
issn:
- 2299-0984
publication_status: published
publisher: Privacy Enhancing Technologies Symposium Advisory Board
status: public
title: '“The city isn’t uploading me to TikTok”: Exploring Privacy Attitudes towards
Data Collection in Urban Public Spaces'
type: journal_article
user_id: '46433'
volume: 2026
year: '2026'
...
---
_id: '65493'
author:
- first_name: Emiram
full_name: Kablo, Emiram
id: '46433'
last_name: Kablo
- first_name: Avishan
full_name: Sharafi, Avishan
last_name: Sharafi
- first_name: Patricia
full_name: Arias Cabarcos, Patricia
id: '92804'
last_name: Arias Cabarcos
citation:
ama: 'Kablo E, Sharafi A, Arias Cabarcos P. “I store some passwords in WhatsApp”:
Understanding User Experiences and Usability Challenges of Password Managers in
Virtual Reality. In: Proceedings of the Extended Abstracts of the 2026 CHI
Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. ACM; 2026. doi:10.1145/3772363.3798346'
apa: 'Kablo, E., Sharafi, A., & Arias Cabarcos, P. (2026). “I store some passwords
in WhatsApp”: Understanding User Experiences and Usability Challenges of Password
Managers in Virtual Reality. Proceedings of the Extended Abstracts of the 2026
CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. https://doi.org/10.1145/3772363.3798346'
bibtex: '@inproceedings{Kablo_Sharafi_Arias Cabarcos_2026, title={“I store some
passwords in WhatsApp”: Understanding User Experiences and Usability Challenges
of Password Managers in Virtual Reality}, DOI={10.1145/3772363.3798346},
booktitle={Proceedings of the Extended Abstracts of the 2026 CHI Conference on
Human Factors in Computing Systems}, publisher={ACM}, author={Kablo, Emiram and
Sharafi, Avishan and Arias Cabarcos, Patricia}, year={2026} }'
chicago: 'Kablo, Emiram, Avishan Sharafi, and Patricia Arias Cabarcos. “‘I Store
Some Passwords in WhatsApp’: Understanding User Experiences and Usability Challenges
of Password Managers in Virtual Reality.” In Proceedings of the Extended Abstracts
of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. ACM, 2026.
https://doi.org/10.1145/3772363.3798346.'
ieee: 'E. Kablo, A. Sharafi, and P. Arias Cabarcos, “‘I store some passwords in
WhatsApp’: Understanding User Experiences and Usability Challenges of Password
Managers in Virtual Reality,” 2026, doi: 10.1145/3772363.3798346.'
mla: 'Kablo, Emiram, et al. “‘I Store Some Passwords in WhatsApp’: Understanding
User Experiences and Usability Challenges of Password Managers in Virtual Reality.”
Proceedings of the Extended Abstracts of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors
in Computing Systems, ACM, 2026, doi:10.1145/3772363.3798346.'
short: 'E. Kablo, A. Sharafi, P. Arias Cabarcos, in: Proceedings of the Extended
Abstracts of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, ACM,
2026.'
date_created: 2026-04-23T16:03:06Z
date_updated: 2026-08-03T10:50:39Z
department:
- _id: '679'
doi: 10.1145/3772363.3798346
language:
- iso: eng
main_file_link:
- open_access: '1'
url: https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3772363.3798346
oa: '1'
publication: Proceedings of the Extended Abstracts of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human
Factors in Computing Systems
publication_status: published
publisher: ACM
status: public
title: '"I store some passwords in WhatsApp": Understanding User Experiences and Usability
Challenges of Password Managers in Virtual Reality'
type: conference
user_id: '46433'
year: '2026'
...
---
_id: '61144'
author:
- first_name: Emiram
full_name: Kablo, Emiram
id: '46433'
last_name: Kablo
- first_name: Melina
full_name: Kleber, Melina
last_name: Kleber
- first_name: Patricia
full_name: Arias Cabarcos, Patricia
id: '92804'
last_name: Arias Cabarcos
citation:
ama: 'Kablo E, Kleber M, Arias Cabarcos P. PrivaCI in VR: Exploring Perceptions
and Acceptability of Data Sharing in Virtual Reality Through Contextual Integrity.
In: 34th USENIX Security Symposium (USENIX Security 25). ; 2025:1531–1548.'
apa: 'Kablo, E., Kleber, M., & Arias Cabarcos, P. (2025). PrivaCI in VR: Exploring
Perceptions and Acceptability of Data Sharing in Virtual Reality Through Contextual
Integrity. 34th USENIX Security Symposium (USENIX Security 25), 1531–1548.'
bibtex: '@inproceedings{Kablo_Kleber_Arias Cabarcos_2025, title={PrivaCI in VR:
Exploring Perceptions and Acceptability of Data Sharing in Virtual Reality Through
Contextual Integrity}, booktitle={34th USENIX Security Symposium (USENIX Security
25)}, author={Kablo, Emiram and Kleber, Melina and Arias Cabarcos, Patricia},
year={2025}, pages={1531–1548} }'
chicago: 'Kablo, Emiram, Melina Kleber, and Patricia Arias Cabarcos. “PrivaCI in
VR: Exploring Perceptions and Acceptability of Data Sharing in Virtual Reality
Through Contextual Integrity.” In 34th USENIX Security Symposium (USENIX Security
25), 1531–1548, 2025.'
ieee: 'E. Kablo, M. Kleber, and P. Arias Cabarcos, “PrivaCI in VR: Exploring Perceptions
and Acceptability of Data Sharing in Virtual Reality Through Contextual Integrity,”
in 34th USENIX Security Symposium (USENIX Security 25), 2025, pp. 1531–1548.'
mla: 'Kablo, Emiram, et al. “PrivaCI in VR: Exploring Perceptions and Acceptability
of Data Sharing in Virtual Reality Through Contextual Integrity.” 34th USENIX
Security Symposium (USENIX Security 25), 2025, pp. 1531–1548.'
short: 'E. Kablo, M. Kleber, P. Arias Cabarcos, in: 34th USENIX Security Symposium
(USENIX Security 25), 2025, pp. 1531–1548.'
date_created: 2025-09-08T08:45:30Z
date_updated: 2025-09-08T08:48:37Z
department:
- _id: '679'
language:
- iso: eng
main_file_link:
- open_access: '1'
url: https://www.usenix.org/conference/usenixsecurity25/presentation/kablo
oa: '1'
page: 1531–1548
publication: 34th USENIX Security Symposium (USENIX Security 25)
status: public
title: 'PrivaCI in VR: Exploring Perceptions and Acceptability of Data Sharing in
Virtual Reality Through Contextual Integrity'
type: conference
user_id: '46433'
year: '2025'
...
---
_id: '54291'
author:
- first_name: Emiram
full_name: Kablo, Emiram
id: '46433'
last_name: Kablo
- first_name: Katharina
full_name: Kader, Katharina
last_name: Kader
- first_name: Patricia
full_name: Arias Cabarcos, Patricia
id: '92804'
last_name: Arias Cabarcos
citation:
ama: 'Kablo E, Kader K, Arias Cabarcos P. “I’m actually going to go and change these
passwords”: Analyzing the Usability of Credential Audit Interfaces in Password
Managers. In: Extended Abstracts of the CHI Conference on Human Factors in
Computing Systems. ACM; 2024. doi:10.1145/3613905.3650889'
apa: 'Kablo, E., Kader, K., & Arias Cabarcos, P. (2024). “I’m actually going
to go and change these passwords”: Analyzing the Usability of Credential Audit
Interfaces in Password Managers. Extended Abstracts of the CHI Conference on
Human Factors in Computing Systems. https://doi.org/10.1145/3613905.3650889'
bibtex: '@inproceedings{Kablo_Kader_Arias Cabarcos_2024, title={“I’m actually going
to go and change these passwords”: Analyzing the Usability of Credential Audit
Interfaces in Password Managers}, DOI={10.1145/3613905.3650889},
booktitle={Extended Abstracts of the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing
Systems}, publisher={ACM}, author={Kablo, Emiram and Kader, Katharina and Arias
Cabarcos, Patricia}, year={2024} }'
chicago: 'Kablo, Emiram, Katharina Kader, and Patricia Arias Cabarcos. “‘I’m Actually
Going to Go and Change These Passwords’: Analyzing the Usability of Credential
Audit Interfaces in Password Managers.” In Extended Abstracts of the CHI Conference
on Human Factors in Computing Systems. ACM, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1145/3613905.3650889.'
ieee: 'E. Kablo, K. Kader, and P. Arias Cabarcos, “‘I’m actually going to go and
change these passwords’: Analyzing the Usability of Credential Audit Interfaces
in Password Managers,” 2024, doi: 10.1145/3613905.3650889.'
mla: 'Kablo, Emiram, et al. “‘I’m Actually Going to Go and Change These Passwords’:
Analyzing the Usability of Credential Audit Interfaces in Password Managers.”
Extended Abstracts of the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems,
ACM, 2024, doi:10.1145/3613905.3650889.'
short: 'E. Kablo, K. Kader, P. Arias Cabarcos, in: Extended Abstracts of the CHI
Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, ACM, 2024.'
date_created: 2024-05-14T21:13:26Z
date_updated: 2025-04-01T13:57:21Z
ddc:
- '000'
department:
- _id: '679'
doi: 10.1145/3613905.3650889
file:
- access_level: open_access
content_type: application/pdf
creator: ekablo
date_created: 2025-04-01T13:54:35Z
date_updated: 2025-04-01T13:57:20Z
file_id: '59230'
file_name: CredentialAudits_RIS.pdf
file_size: 1029688
relation: main_file
file_date_updated: 2025-04-01T13:57:20Z
has_accepted_license: '1'
language:
- iso: eng
oa: '1'
publication: Extended Abstracts of the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing
Systems
publication_status: published
publisher: ACM
status: public
title: '"I''m actually going to go and change these passwords": Analyzing the Usability
of Credential Audit Interfaces in Password Managers'
type: conference
user_id: '46433'
year: '2024'
...
---
_id: '49373'
author:
- first_name: Emiram
full_name: Kablo, Emiram
id: '46433'
last_name: Kablo
- first_name: Patricia
full_name: Arias Cabarcos, Patricia
id: '92804'
last_name: Arias Cabarcos
citation:
ama: 'Kablo E, Arias Cabarcos P. Privacy in the Age of Neurotechnology: Investigating
Public Attitudes towards Brain Data Collection and Use. In: Proceedings of
the 2023 ACM SIGSAC Conference on Computer and Communications Security. ACM;
2023. doi:10.1145/3576915.3623164'
apa: 'Kablo, E., & Arias Cabarcos, P. (2023). Privacy in the Age of Neurotechnology:
Investigating Public Attitudes towards Brain Data Collection and Use. Proceedings
of the 2023 ACM SIGSAC Conference on Computer and Communications Security.
https://doi.org/10.1145/3576915.3623164'
bibtex: '@inproceedings{Kablo_Arias Cabarcos_2023, title={Privacy in the Age of
Neurotechnology: Investigating Public Attitudes towards Brain Data Collection
and Use}, DOI={10.1145/3576915.3623164},
booktitle={Proceedings of the 2023 ACM SIGSAC Conference on Computer and Communications
Security}, publisher={ACM}, author={Kablo, Emiram and Arias Cabarcos, Patricia},
year={2023} }'
chicago: 'Kablo, Emiram, and Patricia Arias Cabarcos. “Privacy in the Age of Neurotechnology:
Investigating Public Attitudes towards Brain Data Collection and Use.” In Proceedings
of the 2023 ACM SIGSAC Conference on Computer and Communications Security.
ACM, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1145/3576915.3623164.'
ieee: 'E. Kablo and P. Arias Cabarcos, “Privacy in the Age of Neurotechnology: Investigating
Public Attitudes towards Brain Data Collection and Use,” 2023, doi: 10.1145/3576915.3623164.'
mla: 'Kablo, Emiram, and Patricia Arias Cabarcos. “Privacy in the Age of Neurotechnology:
Investigating Public Attitudes towards Brain Data Collection and Use.” Proceedings
of the 2023 ACM SIGSAC Conference on Computer and Communications Security,
ACM, 2023, doi:10.1145/3576915.3623164.'
short: 'E. Kablo, P. Arias Cabarcos, in: Proceedings of the 2023 ACM SIGSAC Conference
on Computer and Communications Security, ACM, 2023.'
date_created: 2023-12-02T14:50:07Z
date_updated: 2026-08-03T10:51:54Z
department:
- _id: '679'
doi: 10.1145/3576915.3623164
language:
- iso: eng
main_file_link:
- open_access: '1'
url: https://dl.acm.org/doi/abs/10.1145/3576915.3623164
oa: '1'
publication: Proceedings of the 2023 ACM SIGSAC Conference on Computer and Communications
Security
publication_status: published
publisher: ACM
status: public
title: 'Privacy in the Age of Neurotechnology: Investigating Public Attitudes towards
Brain Data Collection and Use'
type: conference
user_id: '46433'
year: '2023'
...
---
_id: '48060'
author:
- first_name: Markus
full_name: Röse, Markus
last_name: Röse
- first_name: Emiram
full_name: Kablo, Emiram
id: '46433'
last_name: Kablo
- first_name: Patricia
full_name: Arias Cabarcos, Patricia
id: '92804'
last_name: Arias Cabarcos
citation:
ama: 'Röse M, Kablo E, Arias Cabarcos P. Overcoming Theory: Designing Brainwave
Authentication for the Real World. In: Proceedings of the 2023 European Symposium
on Usable Security. ACM; 2023. doi:10.1145/3617072.3617120'
apa: 'Röse, M., Kablo, E., & Arias Cabarcos, P. (2023). Overcoming Theory: Designing
Brainwave Authentication for the Real World. Proceedings of the 2023 European
Symposium on Usable Security. https://doi.org/10.1145/3617072.3617120'
bibtex: '@inproceedings{Röse_Kablo_Arias Cabarcos_2023, title={Overcoming Theory:
Designing Brainwave Authentication for the Real World}, DOI={10.1145/3617072.3617120},
booktitle={Proceedings of the 2023 European Symposium on Usable Security}, publisher={ACM},
author={Röse, Markus and Kablo, Emiram and Arias Cabarcos, Patricia}, year={2023}
}'
chicago: 'Röse, Markus, Emiram Kablo, and Patricia Arias Cabarcos. “Overcoming Theory:
Designing Brainwave Authentication for the Real World.” In Proceedings of the
2023 European Symposium on Usable Security. ACM, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1145/3617072.3617120.'
ieee: 'M. Röse, E. Kablo, and P. Arias Cabarcos, “Overcoming Theory: Designing Brainwave
Authentication for the Real World,” 2023, doi: 10.1145/3617072.3617120.'
mla: 'Röse, Markus, et al. “Overcoming Theory: Designing Brainwave Authentication
for the Real World.” Proceedings of the 2023 European Symposium on Usable Security,
ACM, 2023, doi:10.1145/3617072.3617120.'
short: 'M. Röse, E. Kablo, P. Arias Cabarcos, in: Proceedings of the 2023 European
Symposium on Usable Security, ACM, 2023.'
date_created: 2023-10-14T12:09:25Z
date_updated: 2026-08-03T10:51:17Z
doi: 10.1145/3617072.3617120
language:
- iso: eng
main_file_link:
- open_access: '1'
url: https://dl.acm.org/doi/abs/10.1145/3617072.3617120
oa: '1'
publication: Proceedings of the 2023 European Symposium on Usable Security
publication_status: published
publisher: ACM
status: public
title: 'Overcoming Theory: Designing Brainwave Authentication for the Real World'
type: conference
user_id: '46433'
year: '2023'
...