Smartphone use reveals personality
Researchers at Princeton University have developed an algorithm that uses people's smartphone usage to determine their personality.
Using machine learning, the system can identify four of the five personality traits from the psychological "Big Five" model: Open-mindedness, perfectionism, sociability and emotional sensitivity.
"Like a digital footprint"
"The accuracy of the predictions is similar to that of digital footprints on social media platforms. This shows that information can only be gathered from passively collected behavior patterns on the smartphone," the developers write. They also warn of how easy it is to collect personal data outside of social networks.
The scientists collected data from 624 volunteers. They focused on the factors of communication, listening to music, the use of apps, the frequency of smartphone use and the mobility of users. They then used this data to train the algorithm.
Danger to privacy
Apart from the personality trait empathy, the system can predict all characteristics from the Big Five model based on smartphone usage. Although this is an important finding for psychological research, it also shows the risk of privacy violations and the precise targeting of specific target groups. (pte)
