Techrecipe

A browser plug-in that tells you if you are in compliance with our privacy policy?

Mitigator is a browser feature that allows you to verify compliance with the privacy policy developed by Canadian universities. In recent years, various web services have expressed consideration for privacy and the privacy policy posted on the site has been changed to a more concise and readable form than before. However, apart from posting an easy-to-understand privacy policy, there is no guarantee that a website or service will follow.

To address this issue, a research team at the University of Waterloo in Canada developed and published the verification results in a paper, a software-based system that verifies that a website handles data in a manner that complies with the privacy policy.

Milligator, when installed in the form of a plug-in in a browser, informs the user whether the site complies with the privacy policy. For example, if the site asks you to enter an email address, it will notify the user if there is no description of the handling of the email address in the privacy policy or if it is necessary to enter an email address.

However, it is not absolutely applicable to all websites. Site-side support is also required. It can be cumbersome, but it has the advantage of being able to appeal to the fact that the website also handles data appropriately, and that users can use the site’s services with confidence.

The research team plans to conduct a thorough usability study to see if various users and developers want to use Milligator and whether they are willing to support it. Also, although the university research team will not release it alone, there is a possibility that it will be released in the form of a security company. Related information can be found here .