Abstract

With families increasingly moving towards smart devices and home automation, the right security policies and access control are essential. However, in multi-person and family homes, several users are sharing an IoT device, bringing up the question of who’s in control. We examine how smart-home owners share their IoT devices, and how they feel about using sharing features. In a global landscape, understanding cultural differences is key in every field, and IoT is no different. Using a mixture of survey and interview methods, we collect data regarding smart-home owners’ IoT devices, specifically which of these devices they share, their preferences for sharing, and why. We then explore the role that cultural differences have on device sharing.