'We are adults and deserve control of our phones': Examining the risks and opportunities of a right to repair for mobile apps

Konrad Kollnig; Siddhartha Datta; Thomas Şerban Von Davier; Max Van Kleek; Reuben Binns; Ulrik Lyngs; Nigel Shadbolt

doi:10.1145/3593013.3593973

'We are adults and deserve control of our phones': Examining the risks and opportunities of a right to repair for mobile apps

Konrad Kollnig^*, Siddhartha Datta, Thomas Şerban Von Davier, Max Van Kleek, Reuben Binns, Ulrik Lyngs, Nigel Shadbolt

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference article in proceeding › Academic › peer-review

Abstract

Many mobile apps are designed not just to support end-users' needs, but also commercial aims. This can result in app designs that compromise end-user privacy, safety, and well-being. Since apps nowadays provide vital digital information and services, users often have no choice but to accept potentially harmful or manipulative app designs. What if, instead, individuals could customise their apps to make them safer and better suit their needs? This exploratory work examines this question through a multi-faceted approach; first, to understand user needs, we conducted a survey (n = 100) of changes users wanted in their apps, and of perceptions of risks in app repair. Second, to identify technical challenges, we developed a prototype that enables end-users to change their apps, and realised several modifications suggested by survey participants. Finally, we conduct a set of expert interviews (n = 8) to delve into the ethical and legal aspects of such a tool, and synthesise a framework of risks and opportunities of app repair.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	Proceedings of the 6th ACM Conference on Fairness, Accountability, and Transparency, FAccT 2023
Publisher	Association for Computing Machinery
Pages	22-34
Number of pages	13
ISBN (Electronic)	9781450372527
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1145/3593013.3593973
Publication status	Published - 12 Jun 2023
Externally published	Yes
Event	6th ACM Conference on Fairness, Accountability, and Transparency, FAccT 2023 - Chicago, United States Duration: 12 Jun 2023 → 15 Jun 2023 https://facctconference.org/2023/

Publication series

Series	ACM International Conference Proceeding Series

Conference

Conference	6th ACM Conference on Fairness, Accountability, and Transparency, FAccT 2023
Abbreviated title	ACM FAccT 2023
Country/Territory	United States
City	Chicago
Period	12/06/23 → 15/06/23
Internet address	https://facctconference.org/2023/

Keywords

dark patterns
digital harms
mobile apps
privacy
right to repair

Access to Document

10.1145/3593013.3593973

Cite this

Kollnig, K., Datta, S., Şerban Von Davier, T., Van Kleek, M., Binns, R., Lyngs, U., & Shadbolt, N. (2023). 'We are adults and deserve control of our phones': Examining the risks and opportunities of a right to repair for mobile apps. In Proceedings of the 6th ACM Conference on Fairness, Accountability, and Transparency, FAccT 2023 (pp. 22-34). Association for Computing Machinery. https://doi.org/10.1145/3593013.3593973

Kollnig, Konrad ; Datta, Siddhartha ; Şerban Von Davier, Thomas et al. / 'We are adults and deserve control of our phones' : Examining the risks and opportunities of a right to repair for mobile apps. Proceedings of the 6th ACM Conference on Fairness, Accountability, and Transparency, FAccT 2023. Association for Computing Machinery, 2023. pp. 22-34 (ACM International Conference Proceeding Series).

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title = "'We are adults and deserve control of our phones': Examining the risks and opportunities of a right to repair for mobile apps",

abstract = "Many mobile apps are designed not just to support end-users' needs, but also commercial aims. This can result in app designs that compromise end-user privacy, safety, and well-being. Since apps nowadays provide vital digital information and services, users often have no choice but to accept potentially harmful or manipulative app designs. What if, instead, individuals could customise their apps to make them safer and better suit their needs? This exploratory work examines this question through a multi-faceted approach; first, to understand user needs, we conducted a survey (n = 100) of changes users wanted in their apps, and of perceptions of risks in app repair. Second, to identify technical challenges, we developed a prototype that enables end-users to change their apps, and realised several modifications suggested by survey participants. Finally, we conduct a set of expert interviews (n = 8) to delve into the ethical and legal aspects of such a tool, and synthesise a framework of risks and opportunities of app repair.",

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author = "Konrad Kollnig and Siddhartha Datta and {{\c S}erban Von Davier}, Thomas and {Van Kleek}, Max and Reuben Binns and Ulrik Lyngs and Nigel Shadbolt",

note = "Funding Information: We thank our study participants, both those in the survey as well as those in our expert interviews. We also thank Martin J Kraemer, Lin Kyi, Ge Wang, Helena Webb, and Claudine Tinsman. Konrad Kollnig was funded by the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) under grant number EP/R513295/1. Ulrik Lyngs was supported by a Carlsberg Foundation Oxford Visiting Fellowship under grant number CF20-0678. Max Van Kleek was funded by PETRAS2 of the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) under grant number EP/S035362/1. Konrad Kollnig, Reuben Binns, Max Van Kleek, and Nigel Shadbolt have been supported by the Oxford Martin School EWADA Programme. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2023 ACM.; 6th ACM Conference on Fairness, Accountability, and Transparency, FAccT 2023, ACM FAccT 2023 ; Conference date: 12-06-2023 Through 15-06-2023",

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doi = "10.1145/3593013.3593973",

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publisher = "Association for Computing Machinery",

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Kollnig, K, Datta, S, Şerban Von Davier, T, Van Kleek, M, Binns, R, Lyngs, U & Shadbolt, N 2023, 'We are adults and deserve control of our phones': Examining the risks and opportunities of a right to repair for mobile apps. in Proceedings of the 6th ACM Conference on Fairness, Accountability, and Transparency, FAccT 2023. Association for Computing Machinery, ACM International Conference Proceeding Series, pp. 22-34, 6th ACM Conference on Fairness, Accountability, and Transparency, FAccT 2023, Chicago, Illinois, United States, 12/06/23. https://doi.org/10.1145/3593013.3593973

'We are adults and deserve control of our phones': Examining the risks and opportunities of a right to repair for mobile apps. / Kollnig, Konrad; Datta, Siddhartha; Şerban Von Davier, Thomas et al.
Proceedings of the 6th ACM Conference on Fairness, Accountability, and Transparency, FAccT 2023. Association for Computing Machinery, 2023. p. 22-34 (ACM International Conference Proceeding Series).

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference article in proceeding › Academic › peer-review

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AU - Lyngs, Ulrik

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N1 - Funding Information: We thank our study participants, both those in the survey as well as those in our expert interviews. We also thank Martin J Kraemer, Lin Kyi, Ge Wang, Helena Webb, and Claudine Tinsman. Konrad Kollnig was funded by the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) under grant number EP/R513295/1. Ulrik Lyngs was supported by a Carlsberg Foundation Oxford Visiting Fellowship under grant number CF20-0678. Max Van Kleek was funded by PETRAS2 of the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) under grant number EP/S035362/1. Konrad Kollnig, Reuben Binns, Max Van Kleek, and Nigel Shadbolt have been supported by the Oxford Martin School EWADA Programme. Publisher Copyright: © 2023 ACM.

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AB - Many mobile apps are designed not just to support end-users' needs, but also commercial aims. This can result in app designs that compromise end-user privacy, safety, and well-being. Since apps nowadays provide vital digital information and services, users often have no choice but to accept potentially harmful or manipulative app designs. What if, instead, individuals could customise their apps to make them safer and better suit their needs? This exploratory work examines this question through a multi-faceted approach; first, to understand user needs, we conducted a survey (n = 100) of changes users wanted in their apps, and of perceptions of risks in app repair. Second, to identify technical challenges, we developed a prototype that enables end-users to change their apps, and realised several modifications suggested by survey participants. Finally, we conduct a set of expert interviews (n = 8) to delve into the ethical and legal aspects of such a tool, and synthesise a framework of risks and opportunities of app repair.

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Kollnig K, Datta S, Şerban Von Davier T, Van Kleek M, Binns R, Lyngs U et al. 'We are adults and deserve control of our phones': Examining the risks and opportunities of a right to repair for mobile apps. In Proceedings of the 6th ACM Conference on Fairness, Accountability, and Transparency, FAccT 2023. Association for Computing Machinery. 2023. p. 22-34. (ACM International Conference Proceeding Series). doi: 10.1145/3593013.3593973

'We are adults and deserve control of our phones': Examining the risks and opportunities of a right to repair for mobile apps

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Conference

Keywords

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