Dictionary entry
contextual integrity
also contextual integrity framework or CI
Definition of contextual integrity
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: a privacy framework that judges an information flow by whether it follows the legitimate norms of its social context, including who is sending information about whom, who receives it, what kind of information it is, and under what conditions it is shared
- The travel agent preserved contextual integrity by using the passport number for a visa application but not sending it to the hotel.
- A system can respect an app permission and still violate contextual integrity by reusing personal data for an unrelated task.
Two meanings, one word
In everyday English
The quality of remaining whole, consistent, or appropriate within a particular situation.
In AI
A privacy framework that judges an information flow by whether it follows the legitimate norms of its social context, including who is sending information about whom…
Origin & history
Privacy scholar Helen Nissenbaum introduced contextual integrity as a privacy benchmark in the 2004 article Privacy as Contextual Integrity. The framework later became influential in technology policy and computer science. In the 2020s, researchers began applying it to language-model assistants and autonomous agents that move information and take actions across many services and social contexts.
Test yourself
Which of these is the meaning of contextual integrity?
Cite this entry
"Contextual integrity." AI Dictionary, Dadgogo, https://dadgogo.com/dictionary/contextual-integrity/. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.