Factors Influencing User Adherence towards Privacy Standards of Internet of Things Devices

The upsurge in the use of Internet of things (IoT) devices increases the likelihood of cyber-attacks on end users. The objective of the study reported here was to investigate the factors that influence IoT device users’ adherence to privacy standards. This interpretivist exploratory research was guided by a three-phased approach using activity theory. The interview questions were derived from the conceptual model and themes analysed using deductive thematic analysis. The findings indicate that a lack of adherence is driven by a lack of trust in IoT devices and service providers, as well as convenience and health factors. In addition, users’ personality, awareness, and surroundings also influence adherence to IoT device privacy standards. This study proposes that IoT adherence to device privacy standards may be promoted by increased awareness raising and education

A Study on Privacy of IoT Devices among a Sample of Indians in the U.S- 2021

The Internet of Things (IoT) has gained immense popularity over the last decade with wide-ranging applications in domains of medicine, science, military as well as domestic use. Despite its tremendous growth, privacy concerns plague IoT applications and have the potential to hamper the benefits derived from its usage. This paper carries out a statistical analysis of empirical data collected from users of IoT to assess the level of awareness among users of IoT. The mode of study was through a questionnaire sent through Google forms to a selection of Indians living across the U.S. The place was chosen as some of the authors were in that country and also because its usage is more in the U.S. Many homes have extensive use of IoT, even if it’s for simple operations like turning on/off electric bulbs. Privacy issues have also been a matter of concern as these devices are linked to the internet. The sample was chosen from judgment /convenience sampling. Only one member per family was asked to respond so that there is no overlap of the collected data. The respondents were asked about the privacy issues of using IOT devices and also if it bothered them to continue usage. The results showed that not only were users aware of the privacy issues related to IoT, but they also expressed concerns over the same. Due to the convenience and ease of usage, it is highly unlikely that people will stop using these devices but definitely, the usage will be more guarded in the future

Privacy policy analysis : a scoping review and research agenda

Online users often neglect the importance of privacy policies - a critical aspect of digital privacy and data protection. This scoping review addresses this oversight by delving into privacy policy analysis, aiming to establish a comprehensive research agenda. The study's objective was to explore the analytic techniques employed in privacy policy analysis and to identify the associated challenges. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) checklist, the review selected n = 97 relevant studies. The findings reveal a diverse array of techniques used, encompassing automated machine learning and natural language processing, and manual content analysis. Notably, researchers grapple with challenges like linguistic nuances, ambiguity, and complex data harvesting methods. Additionally, the lack of privacy-centric theoretical frameworks and a dearth of user evaluations in many studies limit their real-world applicability. The review concludes by proposing a set of research recommendations to shape the future research agenda in privacy policy analysis