Abstract
What usability issues do developers using Differential Privacy libraries face? We analyzed 2,021 GitHub issues from5 major Differential Privacy libraries, identifying the usability problems like API confusion, poor error feedback, and documentation gaps. Unlike other privacy-preserving technologies, such as cryptographic libraries, that struggle with installation issues,Differential Privacy libraries face unique challenges. The main contributions of this work include: comprehensive taxonomy of 14 distinct usability issue categories identified through a systematic analysis of real-world developer experiences; empirical evidence that Differential Privacy libraries face different usability challenges compared to other privacy libraries, with API misused ominating at 31.5% of all issues; and library-specific usability profiles revealing that specialized libraries (IBM DP and GoogleDP) show distinct patterns from general-purpose frameworks(PySyft), indicating the need for specialized library usability design approaches.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Number of pages | 13 |
| Publication status | Accepted/In press - 27 Feb 2026 |
| Event | Symposium on Usable Security and Privacy - San Diego, United States Duration: 27 Feb 2026 → 27 Feb 2026 https://www.ndss-symposium.org/ndss2026/co-located-events/usec/ |
Conference
| Conference | Symposium on Usable Security and Privacy |
|---|---|
| Abbreviated title | USEC |
| Country/Territory | United States |
| City | San Diego |
| Period | 27/02/26 → 27/02/26 |
| Internet address |