NIST Guidelines for Smart Grid Cyber Security: Volume 2, Privacy and the Smart Grid
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CONTENTS
Chapter 5 – Privacy and the Smart Grid includes a privacy impact assessment for the Smart Grid with a discussion of mitigating factors. The chapter also identifies potential privacy issues that may occur as new capabilities are included in the Smart Grid.
Appendix C – State Laws – Smart Grid and Electricity Delivery
Appendix D – Privacy Use Cases
Appendix E – Privacy Related Definitions
OVERVIEW
The Smart Grid brings with it many new data collection, communication, and information sharing capabilities related to energy usage, and these technologies in turn introduce concerns about privacy. Privacy relates to individuals. Four dimensions of privacy are considered: (1) personal information—any information relating to an individual, who can be identified, directly or indirectly, by that information and in particular by reference to an identification number or to one or more factors specific to his or her physical, physiological, mental, economic, cultural, locational or social identity; (2) personal privacy—the right to control the integrity of one’s own body; (3) behavioral privacy—the right of individuals to make their own choices about what they do and to keep certain personal behaviors from being shared with others; and (4) personal communications privacy—the right to communicate without undue surveillance, monitoring, or censorship.
Most Smart Grid entities directly address the first dimension, because privacy of personal information is what most data protection laws and regulations cover. However, the other three dimensions are important privacy considerations as well and should be considered by Smart Grid entities.
When considering how existing laws may deal with privacy issues within the Smart Grid, and likewise the potential influence of other laws that explicitly apply to the Smart Grid, it is important to note that while Smart Grid privacy concerns may not be expressly addressed, existing laws and regulations may still be applicable. Nevertheless, the innovative technologies of the Smart Grid pose new issues for protecting consumers’ privacy that will have to be tackled by law or by other means.
The Smart Grid will greatly expand the amount of data that can be monitored, collected, aggregated, and analyzed. This expanded information, particularly from energy consumers and other individuals, raises added privacy concerns. For example, specific appliances and generators can be identified from the signatures they exhibit in electric information at the meter when collections occur with great frequency as opposed to through traditional monthly meter readings. This more detailed information expands the possibility of intruding on consumers’ and other individuals’ privacy expectations.
The research behind the material presented in this chapter focused on privacy within personal dwellings and electric vehicles and did not address business premises and the privacy of individuals within such premises. The researchers’ conclusions based upon work in these primary areas are as follows:
Evolving Smart Grid technologies and associated new types of information related to individuals, groups of individuals, and their behavior within their premises and electric vehicles privacy risks and challenges that have not been tested and may or may not be mitigated by existing laws and regulations.
New Smart Grid technologies, and particularly smart meters, smart appliances, and similar types of endpoints, create new privacy risks and concerns that may not be addressed adequately by the existing business policies and practices of utilities and third-party Smart Grid providers.
Utilities and third-party Smart Grid providers need to follow standard privacy and information security practices to effectively and consistently safeguard the privacy of personal information.
Most consumers probably do not understand their privacy exposures or their options for mitigating those exposures within the Smart
Chapter 5 – Privacy and the Smart Grid includes a privacy impact assessment for the Smart Grid with a discussion of mitigating factors. The chapter also identifies potential privacy issues that may occur as new capabilities are included in the Smart Grid.
Appendix C – State Laws – Smart Grid and Electricity Delivery
Appendix D – Privacy Use Cases
Appendix E – Privacy Related Definitions
OVERVIEW
The Smart Grid brings with it many new data collection, communication, and information sharing capabilities related to energy usage, and these technologies in turn introduce concerns about privacy. Privacy relates to individuals. Four dimensions of privacy are considered: (1) personal information—any information relating to an individual, who can be identified, directly or indirectly, by that information and in particular by reference to an identification number or to one or more factors specific to his or her physical, physiological, mental, economic, cultural, locational or social identity; (2) personal privacy—the right to control the integrity of one’s own body; (3) behavioral privacy—the right of individuals to make their own choices about what they do and to keep certain personal behaviors from being shared with others; and (4) personal communications privacy—the right to communicate without undue surveillance, monitoring, or censorship.
Most Smart Grid entities directly address the first dimension, because privacy of personal information is what most data protection laws and regulations cover. However, the other three dimensions are important privacy considerations as well and should be considered by Smart Grid entities.
When considering how existing laws may deal with privacy issues within the Smart Grid, and likewise the potential influence of other laws that explicitly apply to the Smart Grid, it is important to note that while Smart Grid privacy concerns may not be expressly addressed, existing laws and regulations may still be applicable. Nevertheless, the innovative technologies of the Smart Grid pose new issues for protecting consumers’ privacy that will have to be tackled by law or by other means.
The Smart Grid will greatly expand the amount of data that can be monitored, collected, aggregated, and analyzed. This expanded information, particularly from energy consumers and other individuals, raises added privacy concerns. For example, specific appliances and generators can be identified from the signatures they exhibit in electric information at the meter when collections occur with great frequency as opposed to through traditional monthly meter readings. This more detailed information expands the possibility of intruding on consumers’ and other individuals’ privacy expectations.
The research behind the material presented in this chapter focused on privacy within personal dwellings and electric vehicles and did not address business premises and the privacy of individuals within such premises. The researchers’ conclusions based upon work in these primary areas are as follows:
Evolving Smart Grid technologies and associated new types of information related to individuals, groups of individuals, and their behavior within their premises and electric vehicles privacy risks and challenges that have not been tested and may or may not be mitigated by existing laws and regulations.
New Smart Grid technologies, and particularly smart meters, smart appliances, and similar types of endpoints, create new privacy risks and concerns that may not be addressed adequately by the existing business policies and practices of utilities and third-party Smart Grid providers.
Utilities and third-party Smart Grid providers need to follow standard privacy and information security practices to effectively and consistently safeguard the privacy of personal information.
Most consumers probably do not understand their privacy exposures or their options for mitigating those exposures within the Smart
