The need for enhanced privacy and consent dialogues

The aim of this article is to present the case for a closer examination of the privacy and consent dialogues that take place during the use of on-line services. This article explores the concepts of privacy and consent in on-line services, discusses the facets of both concepts and presents a case study from Sunderland City Council to illustrate the complexity of deploying privacy and consent dialogue within on-line services. The article concludes with an outline of how enhanced understanding of privacy and consent concepts can result in improved tools to support dialogue and result in a negotiated understanding of the privacy that can be expected and the consent that it is required. This rationale is the underpinning of the VOME project – Visualisation and Other Methods of Expression – funded by TSB, EPSRC and ESRC.