Citizen science is a form of collaboration where members of the public participate in scientific research. Citizen science is increasingly facilitated by a variety of wireless, cellular and satellite technologies. Data collected and shared using these technologies may threaten the privacy of volunteers. This project will discover factors which lead to, or allieviate, privacy concerns for citizen science volunteers. The findings could support citizen science by exploring the privacy protection practices utilized by citizen science coordinators and volunteers. Through interviews conducted with project coordinators and volunteers, this research explores contextual factors - including data types, project types, roles, relationships, power structures, norms, motivations, and values - which may prevent participants from identifying and articulating privacy violations, or encourage them to contribute despite identifying privacy concerns. Understanding contextual privacy concerns provides insights into why and how participants decide to participate, share, and opt out of citizen science. Additional focus groups with project coordinators would transform findings into actionable policy and technical guidelines. The results of this research will include best practices and policy guidelines for supporting privacy in citizen science. They will be published in a whitepaper distributed by the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and the United States Citizen Science Association, ensuring that broad audiences in public policy and in the citizen science community benefit from this work.
EAGER: Privacy in Citizen Science: An Emerging Concern for Research and Practice