Glossary
Searchable terminology from accessibility, web standards, and related fields.
56 results found in privacy.
- Ad Blocker (Adblocker, Content Blocker)
- A browser extension or built-in feature that prevents advertisements, trackers, and other unwanted content from loading on web pages, typically by matching requests against blocklists such as EasyList…
- Adaptive Assistive Technology (AAT, Adaptive AT)
- Assistive technology that monitors a user's current and past performance and automatically adjusts its functionality to match their changing needs. Unlike static assistive technologies with fixed sett…
- Anonymization (Anonymity, Anonymous Communication)
- The process of concealing a person's identity when they create or share content, enabling participation in discussions about sensitive, personal, or controversial topics without fear of identification…
- Assessment Descriptor (Visual Attribute Descriptor)
- Brief visual attributes of objects — such as color, size, dimensions, and distance from the user — provided alongside obfuscated or spotlighted content to help users verify whether privacy techniques …
- Assistive use exception (Assistive use legal exception, Assistive purpose exception)
- A proposed legal framework that would permit the use of always-on sensing technologies (such as wearable cameras or microphones) for assistive purposes in contexts where recording is otherwise prohibi…
- Background Mode
- A privacy technique in visual assistance technologies that obfuscates a specific private object while preserving all other elements in the image or video. For example, a user might select a pill bottl…
- Blockchain (Distributed Ledger, Distributed Ledger Technology, DLT)
- A blockchain is a distributed, append-only digital ledger in which records (blocks) are cryptographically linked and replicated across a decentralized network of nodes. No single party controls the da…
- Browser Fingerprinting (Device Fingerprinting, Canvas Fingerprinting)
- A technique used to identify and track users based on the unique characteristics of their web browser and device configuration, including installed plugins, screen resolution, fonts, and accessibility…
- Bystander privacy (Third-party privacy, Incidental privacy)
- The privacy concerns of people who are unintentionally captured or observed by technology being used by others. In the context of assistive technology, bystander privacy refers to the rights and conce…
- Coercion Resistance (Receipt-Freeness, Anti-Coercion)
- Coercion resistance is a security property of voting systems that prevents a coercer from verifying how a voter cast their ballot, even if the voter cooperates with the coercer. A related but weaker p…
- Contextual Integrity (CI, Contextual Privacy)
- A privacy framework developed by Helen Nissenbaum that defines privacy not as secrecy but as the appropriate flow of information according to context-specific norms. According to contextual integrity,…
- Cookie Notice (Cookie Banner, Cookie Consent Banner, Cookie Popup)
- A user interface element that appears on websites to inform visitors about the use of cookies and other tracking technologies, typically requesting consent to store data on their device. Cookie notice…
- Dark Patterns (Deceptive Design Patterns, Deceptive Patterns, Manipulative Design, Manipulative User Interfaces)
- User interface designs that trick or manipulate users into taking actions they did not intend, such as subscribing to services, sharing personal data, or accepting unfavorable terms. In the context of…
- Data Minimization
- A privacy principle requiring that organizations collect, process, and retain only the minimum amount of personal data necessary to accomplish a specific purpose. For assistive technology users, data …
- Data Protection (Data Privacy)
- The practices, policies, and legal frameworks governing how personal information is collected, stored, processed, and shared by organizations. For assistive technology companies, data protection is es…
- Data Stewardship (Dataset Stewardship, Data Governance)
- The responsible management of data throughout its lifecycle, including decisions about collection, storage, access, sharing, and disposal. In accessibility research, participatory data stewardship inv…
- Data Transparency (Data Processing Transparency)
- The practice of clearly communicating to users what data is collected, how it is processed, where processing occurs (on-device vs. cloud), how data is stored, and who has access to it. In accessibilit…
- De-identification (De-ID, Data De-identification)
- The process of removing or obscuring personally identifiable information from data, images, or video to protect an individual's privacy. In video contexts, de-identification may involve blurring, pixe…
- Differential Vulnerability
- The concept that different populations face different types and degrees of risk from the same technology, based on factors such as disability, age, gender, or socioeconomic status. In accessibility an…
- Differential privacy (DP)
- A mathematical framework for sharing statistical information about a dataset while providing provable guarantees that individual records cannot be identified. In accessibility contexts, differential p…