David Widder News Today

For years, Jeff Midkiff thought he had to choose between mandolin and clarinet.

Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University wanted to create a privacy-preserving smart sensor. They were accused of violating privacy instead.

Carnegie Mellon University's Institute for Software Research recently introduced a series of experimental super-sensing devices known as Mites, sparking a privacy battle between the university's staff. One software engineering grad student said, "It's not okay to install these by default. I don't want to live in a world where one's employer installing networked sensors in your office without asking you first is a model for other organizations to follow."

These computer scientists were trying to create privacy-preserving smart sensors. But then they were accused of violating their colleagues’ privacy.