Bachelorarbeit- Ahmet Gökmen Demirkiran

Abstract:

As newer technologies emerge and are adopted by limited groups of people, many find themselves in the role of a bystander for a device they may never have heard of. With only a limited knowledge of these devices’ capabilities, they often have no choice but to assume what happens with their data. Aiming to find out more about these perspectives, we conducted a survey (N=350) comparing seven devices that are not in widespread use. Following the methodology by Windl and Mayer [26], we looked at the differences in the level of privacy concern by different devices and different relationships between the bystander and the user. We investigated the impact of previous ownership and the self-perceived knowledge about the devices’ workings on concern, and gained insight into the consequences bystanders expect from the devices. We found different devices to cause different levels of concern, despite some pairs having similar capabilities. Across all device groups, we found the biggest concern to be 3rd party data access. Our survey itself also had a consistent impact on concern, raising it for every device in the post-survey question. With this work, we aim to highlight the importance of spreading better awareness about the devices’ actual capabilities. We argue that this will lead to healthier and safer interactions, promoting Privacy-Protective Behavior (PPB) adoption and helping to strike a balance between unsafe practices and paranoia.