Abstract End users are increasingly using trigger-action platforms like If-This-Then-That (IFTTT) to create applets to connect smart-home devices and services. However, there are inherent implicit risks in using such applets—even non-malicious ones—as sensitive information may leak through their use in certain contexts (e.g., where the device is located, who can observe the resultant action). This work aims to understand to what extent end users can assess this implicit risk. More importantly we explore whether usage context makes a difference in end-users’ perception of such risks. Our work complements prior work that has identified the impact of usage context on expert evaluation of risks in IFTTT by focusing the impact of usage context on end-users’ risk perception. Through a Mechanical Turk survey of 386 participants on 49 smart-home IFTTT applets, we found that participants have a nuanced view of contextual factors and that different values for contextual factors impact end-users’ risk perception differently. Further, our findings show that nudging the participants to think about different usage contexts led them to think deeper about the associated risks and raise their concern scores.

Home automation has become increasingly popular, with new interconnected products being introduced on a regular basis. While the benefits of these devices are tantalizing, end users may not fully understand the complexities of setting up these devices, become frustrated with the process, or have incorrect installations. We performed an exploratory study to understand the barriers that they face in actually setting up these devices. Participants faced multiple barriers, some of which were insurmountable. Our work indicates that current home automation devices run contrary to the perception that smart homes devices are “plug-and-play”.