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Privacy policies are known to be impenetrable, lengthy, tedious texts that are hardly read and poorly understood. Therefore, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) introduces provisions to enhance the transparency of such documents and suggests icons as visual elements to provide “in an easily visible, intelligible and clearly legible manner a meaningful overview of the intended processing.” The present dissertation discusses how design, and in particular legal design, can support the concrete implementation of the GDPR’s transparency obligation. Notwithstanding the many benefits that visual communication demonstrably provides, graphical elements do not improve comprehension per se. Research on graphical symbols for legal concepts is still scarce, while both the creation and consequent evaluation of icons depicting abstract or unfamiliar concepts represent a challenge. More- over, precision of representation can support the individuals’ sense-making of the meaning of graphical symbols, but at the expense of simplicity and us- ability. Hence, this research proposed a methodology that combines semantic web technologies with principles of semiotics and ergonomics, and empirical methods drawn from the emerging discipline of legal design, that was used to create and evaluate DaPIS, the Data Protection Icon Set meant to support the data subjects’ navigation of privacy policies. The icon set is modeled on PrOnto, an ontological representation of the GDPR, and is organized around its core modules: personal data, roles and agents, processing operations, processing purposes, legal bases, and data subjects’ rights. In combination with the description of a privacy policy in the legal standard XML Akoma Ntoso, such an approach makes the icons machine-readable and semi-automatically retrievable. Icons can thus serve as information markers in lengthy privacy statements and support the navigation of the text by the data subject.

Privacy policies are known to be impenetrable, lengthy, tedious texts that are hardly read and poorly understood. Therefore, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) introduces provisions to enhance the transparency of such documents and suggests icons as visual elements to provide “in an easily visible, intelligible and clearly legible manner a meaningful overview of the intended processing.” The present dissertation discusses how design, and in particular legal design, can support the concrete implementation of the GDPR’s transparency obligation. Notwithstanding the many benefits that visual communication demonstrably provides, graphical elements do not improve comprehension per se. Research on graphical symbols for legal concepts is still scarce, while both the creation and consequent evaluation of icons depicting abstract or unfamiliar concepts represent a challenge. More- over, precision of representation can support the individuals’ sense-making of the meaning of graphical symbols, but at the expense of simplicity and us- ability. Hence, this research proposed a methodology that combines semantic web technologies with principles of semiotics and ergonomics, and empirical methods drawn from the emerging discipline of legal design, that was used to create and evaluate DaPIS, the Data Protection Icon Set meant to support the data subjects’ navigation of privacy policies. The icon set is modeled on PrOnto, an ontological representation of the GDPR, and is organized around its core modules: personal data, roles and agents, processing operations, processing purposes, legal bases, and data subjects’ rights. In combination with the description of a privacy policy in the legal standard XML Akoma Ntoso, such an approach makes the icons machine-readable and semi-automatically retrievable. Icons can thus serve as information markers in lengthy privacy statements and support the navigation of the text by the data subject.

This report documents the program and the outcomes of Dagstuhl Seminar 15131 "Normative Multi-Agent Systems". Normative systems are systems in the behavior of which norms play a role and which need normative concepts in order to be described or specified. A normative multi-agent system combines models for normative systems (dealing for example with obligations, permissions and prohibitions) with models for multi-agent systems. Normative multi-agent systems provide a promising model for human and artificial agent coordination because they integrate norms and individual intelligence. They are a prime example of the use of sociological theories in multi-agent systems, and therefore of the relation between agent theory—both multi-agent systems and autonomous agents—and the social sciences—sociology, philosophy, economics, legal science, etc. The aim of this Dagstuhl Seminar was to feature two fresh themes in broader computing and software engineering: social computing and governance. These themes are highly interdisciplinary, bringing together research strands from computing, information sciences, economics, sociology, and psychology. Further there is considerable excitement about these areas in academia, industry, and public policy organizations. Our third theme was agreement technologies, a more traditional topic but nonetheless relevant for the NorMAS community. A norm is a fundamental social construct. Norms define the essential fabric of a society. Our purpose in this seminar was to explore the connections of norms to each of the themes, especially from a computational perspective. Moreover, the seminar has been conceived for the writing of a volume titled "Handbook of Normative Multi Agent Systems" aimed to become a standard reference in the field and to provide guidelines for future research in normative multi-agent systems.

This report documents the program and the outcomes of Dagstuhl Seminar 12111 ``Normative Multi-Agent Systems''. Normative systems are systems in the behavior of which norms play a role and which need normative concepts in order to be described or specified. A normative multi-agent system combines models for normative systems (dealing for example with obligations, permissions and prohibitions) with models for multi-agent systems. Norms have been proposed in multi-agent systems and computer science to deal with issues of coordination, security, electronic commerce and institutions, agent organization. However, due to the lack of a unified theory, many multi-agent system researchers are presently developing their own ad hoc concepts and applications. The aim of this Dagstuhl Seminar was to formulate a collective appraisal of the current perspectives in the field and the most promising venues for future activity. In particular, the seminar has been conceived for the writing of a volume titled "A Prospective view of Normative Multi Agent Systems" aimed to become a standard reference in the field and to provide guidelines for future research in normative multi-agent systems.

This report documents the program and the outcomes of Dagstuhl Seminar 12111 ``Normative Multi-Agent Systems''. Normative systems are systems in the behavior of which norms play a role and which need normative concepts in order to be described or specified. A normative multi-agent system combines models for normative systems (dealing for example with obligations, permissions and prohibitions) with models for multi-agent systems. Norms have been proposed in multi-agent systems and computer science to deal with issues of coordination, security, electronic commerce and institutions, agent organization. However, due to the lack of a unified theory, many multi-agent system researchers are presently developing their own ad hoc concepts and applications. The aim of this Dagstuhl Seminar was to formulate a collective appraisal of the current perspectives in the field and the most promising venues for future activity. In particular, the seminar has been conceived for the writing of a volume titled "A Prospective view of Normative Multi Agent Systems" aimed to become a standard reference in the field and to provide guidelines for future research in normative multi-agent systems.

OASIcs, Volume 3, Trustworthy SW'06, Complete Volume

On 18-19 May 2006, the Saarland University organized a two-day workshop about "Trustworthy Software" in order to present and foster the research competence in the SaarLorLuxWallonie region in the area of developing safe, secure and reliable software, computers and networks. As part of the Interreg III C E-Bird project "Recherches sans fronti\`eres/Forschen ohne Grenzen" it provided an excellent forum especially for young scientists to present and discuss recent results, new ideas and future research directions to a transnational audience from the SaarLorLuxWallonie region. The workshop consisted of 21 regular presentations and one invited talk. Abstracts of all presentations are collected in this paper, including links to extended abstracts or full papers. The first section directs to the preface of the proceedings.

As part of the Interreg III C/E-Bird project "Recherches sans fronti\`eres/Forschen ohne Grenzen" the Saarland University organized a two-day workshop about "Trustworthy Software" in order to present and foster the research competence in the SaarLorLuxWallonie region in the area of developing safe, secure and reliable software, computers and networks. The workshop especially provided a forum for young scientists to present their research to a transnational audience from the SaarLorLuxWallonie region and consisted of 21 regular presentations and one invited presentation.