posted on 2012-01-05, 16:46authored byClara Mancini, Yvonne Rogers, Keerthi Thomas, Adam N. Joinson, Blaine A. Price, Arosha K. Bandara, Lukasz Jedrzejczyk, Bashar NuseibehBashar Nuseibeh
A growing body of research has been exploring the use of control mechanisms to address the privacy concerns raised
by location-tracking technology. We report on a qualitative study of two family groups who used a custom-built tracking application for an extended period of time. Akin to
sociological breaching experiments, the study focuses on the interferences between location tracking and relationship
management. We analyze the tensions that can arise between affordances of the technology and uses that the contracts between family members legitimize. We describe how, by fostering misperceptions and ‘nudging’ behaviors, location-tracking technology can generate anxieties and conflicts even in close relationships. We discuss their
vulnerability to the overreaching effects of tracking, against which the use of mechanisms such as location-sharing
preferences and feedback may not be socially viable.