When networks sense and decide: a preliminary investigation of the human and invisible ethical dimensions of ISAC in 6G

Abstract

Abstract Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC) is expected to become a core capability of future 6G networks, enabling wireless infrastructures to sense physical environments and human presence through shared radio resources. While offering significant technological benefits, ISAC also raises ethical and societal concerns due to its invisible and pervasive sensing nature. This paper proposes a human-centric, questionnaire-based framework to assess the acceptability of ISAC functionalities and to operationalize ethical and societal perceptions into quantitative, design-oriented indicators. Two representative human-centric scenarios are investigated, namely domestic monitoring for Ambient Assisted Living and human motion monitoring for safety. The proposed framework directly quantifies selected 6G human-centric values, including trustworthiness and regulation, and identifies additional design requirements related to transparency, user control, and system understanding that significantly influence acceptability. The results show that ISAC acceptance is strongly context-dependent and driven more by governance, trust, and knowledge than by sensing capabilities alone. By translating user perceptions into actionable indicators and design requirements, this work provides a practical contribution toward ethical-by-design ISAC development, complementing traditional performance metrics and supporting the realization of transparent, trustworthy, and socially acceptable 6G networks.

The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Ethics and Information Technology, 2026 · DOI ↗