Controlling security rules using natural dialogue : an application to smart home care

The constant evolution of information and communication technologies in all areas of society implies the development of many defense mechanisms by researchers to ensure the protection of the data we share as well as our privacy. The excitement of smart systems is accompanied by an increase in the number of end-user concerns about personal data management and security struggle in the IoT domain. This fight is very abstract for end-users, making it very difficult for them to take control of their privacy as those security mechanisms can become very complicated to use, especially for elderly users. The motivation behind our thesis is a project from the Brussels region called "Smart and Social Home Care" that aims to offer a smart home solution specifically designed for older users. The current system where the elderly live in retirement homes or assisted living will no longer be viable in this aging context. The nature of support for the elderly will change in the coming years, with a major shift towards home care (daily life assistance) as opposed to nursing homes. To cope with the issue of elderly people defining access control rules, we propose an innovative voice assistant which efficiently allows to create new security rules and update existing ones in a simple and intelligible way based on a series of questions and examples of information that should or should not be sent to the social circles associated with the elderly person's social network. Our solution has been tested and widely approved as an efficient and relevant alternative to a more usual web interface.