Designing Privacy-Preserving IoT Smart Speakers: A Human-Centered Wearable Privacy Approach in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Privacy concerns surrounding Internet of Things (IoT) smart speakers have become increasingly prominent, yet users struggle to understand and manage risks associated with continuous voice monitoring, cloud-based data processing, and third-party access. Existing privacy research predominantly focuses on Western contexts, creating a critical gap in understanding how cultural factors influence privacy protection behaviours in non-Western settings. This thesis investigates privacy protection behaviours among smart speaker users in Saudi Arabia and develops wearable technology-based interventions to enhance privacy awareness through three interconnected studies. Study One employed cultural probes and semi-structured interviews with 16 Saudi users, revealing that privacy protection behaviours are shaped by collectivist values, Islamic principles, and multi-generational household structures. Study Two developed a smartwatch application through co-design workshops with nine participants. Field evaluation with ten participants demonstrated sustained improvements in privacy awareness, with participants preferring the wearable interface over conventional privacy controls and the majority expressing intention to continue use beyond the study period. The thesis contributes three primary findings: privacy protection behaviours in Saudi Arabia are culturally constituted rather than individually motivated; wearable interfaces can bridge the awareness-action gap in IoT privacy management; and effective interventions must encode local cultural protocols rather than assuming universal user needs.