Privacy and Automatic Processing of Personal Data through Apps and Bots

Abstract

Services provided through digital networks involve a complex network of actors "“not necessarily humans"“ in order to process personal information and be able of commercial exploitation of its advantages. The development of apps and the introduction of bots or personal assistants linked to ecosystems of services in the cloud "“often depending on a single company"“ adds additional complexity to this network and raises specific risks for the security and privacy. In this paper I analyze the new threats to privacy associated with the widespread use of apps and bots, in a context of increasing demand for free services in the cloud through mobile devices.