Privacy Patterns

TL;DR

This paper introduces a set of privacy design patterns modeled as UML class diagrams, aiming to guide software architects in implementing privacy features aligned with Westin's privacy states.

Contribution

It presents the first formalized privacy patterns using UML, including a new pattern for institutionalized intimacy called Confidence.

Findings

Defines privacy patterns for Westin's four states of privacy.

Provides UML-based representations for privacy-preserving architectures.

Introduces a novel pattern for Confidence, an institutionalized form of intimacy.

Abstract

Inspired by the design patterns of object-oriented software architecture, we offer an initial set of "privacy patterns". Our intent is to describe the most important ways in which software systems can offer privacy to their stakeholders. We express our privacy patterns as class diagrams in the UML (Universal Modelling Language), because this is a commonly-used language for expressing the high-level architecture of an object-oriented system. In this initial set of privacy patterns, we sketch how each of Westin's four states of privacy can be implemented in a software system. In addition to Westin's states of Solitude, Intimacy, Anonymity, and Reserve, we develop a privacy pattern for an institutionalised form of Intimacy which we call Confidence.