Prototyping an End-User User Interface for the Solid Application Interoperability Specification Under GDPR

Hadrien Bailly, Anoop Papanna, Rob Brennan

Abstract: This paper describes prototyping of the draft Solid application interoperability specification (INTEROP). We developed and evaluated a dynamic user interface (UI) for the new Solid application access request and authorization extended with the Data Privacy Vocabulary. Solid places responsibility on users to control their data. INTEROP adds new declarative access controls. Solid applications to date have provided few policy interfaces with high usability. GDPR controls on usage are rarely addressed. Implementation identified specification and Semantic Web tool issues and also in the understandability of declarative policies, a key concern under GDPR or data ethics best practices. The prototype was evaluated in a usability and task accuracy experiment, where the UI enabled users to create access and usage control policies with an accuracy of between 72 and 37%. Overall, the UI had a poor usability rating, with a median SUS (system usability scale) score of 37.67. Experimental participants were classified according to the Westin privacy scale to investigate the impact of user attitudes to privacy on the results. The paper discusses the findings of the study and their consequences for future data sovereignty access request and authorization UI designs.