User Perceptions of Smart Home IoT Privacy

Smart home Internet of Things (IoT) devices are rapidly increasing in popularity, with more households including Internet-connected devices that continuously monitor user activities. In this study, we conduct eleven semi-structured interviews with smart home owners, investigating their reasons for purchasing IoT devices, perceptions of smart home privacy risks, and actions taken to protect their privacy from those external to the home who create, manage, track, or regulate IoT devices and/or their data. We note several recurring themes. First, users' desires for convenience and connectedness dictate their privacy-related behaviors for dealing with external entities, such as device manufacturers, Internet Service Providers, governments, and advertisers. Second, user opinions about external entities collecting smart home data depend on perceived benefit from these entities. Third, users trust IoT device manufacturers to protect their privacy but do not verify that these protections are in place. Fourth, users are unaware of privacy risks from inference algorithms operating on data from non-audio/visual devices. These findings motivate several recommendations for device designers, researchers, and industry standards to better match device privacy features to the expectations and preferences of smart home owners.Comment: 20 pages, 1 tabl

SMEs and digital communication technologies: a qualitative market research report prepared for the ACMA by GfK Australia

Examines the adoption of new technology by small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Executive summary The research The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) commissioned GfK Australia to carry out a program of qualitative research with Australian Small to Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs) to understand the key drivers and barriers to Digital Communication Technology (DCT) take-up amongst SMEs. The research was also designed to increase the ACMA’s understanding about the extent to which current information provision to SMEs about digital technologies is fit for purpose. The qualitative research was conducted in three stages, beginning with technology consultants, then with SMEs themselves, and lastly with key industry leaders, and comprised in-depth interviews, focus groups and case studies. The research was conducted between April and June 2014. SMEs are choosing to be late adopters of digital communications technology Many SMEs perceive digital communication technology as a tool that assists in running their businesses not as a necessity in and of itself. SMEs highlighted the importance of needing to see a strong case for adoption of digital communications technologies in the immediate future to offset potential barriers to use. SMEs engagement with more mature digital communications technology solutions such as websites and financial management software was broader than newer innovative technologies such as cloud based storage applications. There was a strong sense from SMEs of a lack of urgency to change – that if things are going pretty well, they don’t want to waste money or resources on things they can’t be sure will work. As a result, rather than simply delaying adoption or engagement due to lack of knowledge and information, SMEs are sometimes deliberately choosing to be late adopters. SMEs indicated that they like to make sure a solution’s success factors are proven and whilst they wait, the cost to adopt decreases. In contrast industry leaders consulted during this study expressed concern that without a greater focus on adopting digital communications technology, SMEs won’t have the tools to sustain their businesses into the future

ACUTA Journal of Telecommunications in Higher Education

In This Issue Making Dollars and Sense Out of Cloud Computing Surfing the Wave of Cloud Computing VolP Meets the Cloud A Quick Look at Cloud Computing in Higher Education,2012 Cloud Computing: ls the Forecast Bright or Overcast? Cloud E-Mail Momentum Swells Institutional Excellence Award lndividual Awards President\u27s Message From the Executive Director Q&A with the CI

Who put the “NO” in Innovation? Innovation resistance leaders’ behaviors and self-identities

Individuals can exert strong influence on the fate of innovations. However, we know little about the most conspicuous market actors who resist innovations: innovation resistance leaders. We define innovation resistance leaders as figureheads in media and as active opponents who act against an innovation to exert influence at the societal level. To understand their role, we seek to answer the following questions: How do innovation resistance leaders engage in resistance, and who are these leaders? Our exploratory qualitative analysis of eight resistance cases reveals the following two behaviorally distinct resistance leader types. Initiators are among the first people to notice a problem after an innovation launch, and they scale up a resistance movement through the media (i.e., they organize a resistance initiation process), whereas Aggregators join an existing movement after a critical mass of negative voices has been reached (i.e., they organize a resistance aggregation process). Regarding resistance leaders’ self-identities, Initiators tend to have a missionary social identity while Aggregators tend to have a consumerist one. We contribute to innovation resistance and adoption as well as innovation diffusion literature by conceptualizing a new type of resister who, based on their self-identity, performs two distinct and newly identified resistance diffusion processes

Acceptance model of SaaS cloud computing at northern Malaysian main campus public universities

Technology advancement has side effects, although it has moved in a fast pace that facilitated life and increased business revenue. To cope with negative aspects while looking for friendly technology, Software as a Service (SaaS) Cloud Computing emerged to preserve natural resources, effectively utilize computing and power consumption, while achieving performance, decreasing cost, and increasing revenue. Yet, there are paucity in empirical studies investigating salient factors affecting the usage, acceptance, or adoption of SaaS services from the individual perspectives specifically in higher education sector. The main objective of this study is to investigate the salient factors with proper model that includes technical, social and control characteristics, as well as user security predisposition. Besides, educational level has also proven to be influential in adopting innovations. Hence, probing its role is another objective. The last objective is to investigate differences between student and lecturer groups in the relationships postulated in the model. A survey with questionnaires was conducted on students and lecturers in four public universities in Northern Malaysia. The scope of the acceptance is to investigate the personal-level use of SaaS services. Decomposed Theory of Planned Behaviour (DTPB) and Diffusion of Innovation Theory (DOI) were applied. Results revealed appropriateness of the model although the role of Trialability and Subjective Norms were not significance. The findings contribute to the body of knowledge and literature in highlighting the role of these factors that SaaS providers could benefit in planning for new services and in promoting SaaS usage to universities

Gone in Sixty Milliseconds: Trademark Law and Cognitive Science

Trademark dilution is a cause of action for interfering with the uniqueness of a trademark. For example, consumers would probably not think that Kodak soap was produced by the makers of Kodak cameras, but its presence in the market would diminish the uniqueness of the original Kodak mark. Trademark owners think dilution is harmful but have had difficulty explaining why. Many courts have therefore been reluctant to enforce dilution laws, even while legislatures have enacted more of them over the past half century. Courts and commentators have now begun to use psychological theories, drawing on associationist models of cognition, to explain how a trademark can be harmed by the existence of similar marks even when consumers can readily distinguish the marks from one another and thus are not confused. Though the cognitive theory of dilution is internally consistent and appeals to the authority of science, it does not rest on sufficient empirical evidence to justify its adoption. Moreover, the harms it identifies do not generally come from commercial competitors but from free speech about trademarked products. As a result, even a limited dilution law should be held unconstitutional under current First Amendment commercial-speech doctrine. In the absence of constitutional invalidation, the cognitive explanation of dilution is likely to change the law for the worse. Rather than working like fingerprint evidence--which ideally produces more evidence about already-defined crimes--psychological explanations of dilution are more like economic theories in antitrust, which changed the definition of actionable restraints of trade. Given the empirical and normative flaws in the cognitive theory, using it to fill dilution\u27s theoretical vacuum would be a mistake

Strategies for Using Information and Communication Technologies to Improve Profitability

Small business owners in a range of industries continually adapt to take advantage of technological developments in accounting, marketing, and communication. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies that small business owners operating in the central region of North Carolina used to implement information and communication technology (ICT). Roger\u27s diffusion of innovation theory grounded the study. Data collection included face-to-face semistructured interviews with 6 owners of small businesses who successfully implemented ICT, field notes from site observations, and reviews of participant websites. Interviews were transcribed and participants were engaged in member checking. Data were analyzed using Yin\u27s 5-step process, methodological triangulation, and manual coding methods. Three themes emerged: applications, security awareness, and overcoming barriers. The study findings might be of use to owners of small businesses for improving business processes, customer satisfaction, and cost savings. This study might contribute to social change by increasing the sustainability of small businesses in the community, which could drive economic development and improve community relations. Potential implications for effecting positive social change include increasing the rate of small business owners\u27 success in e-commerce and Internet technologies, and increasing the financial security for owners, employees, their families, and communities

Measuring Infringement of Intellectual Property Rights

© Crown Copyright 2014. You may re-use this information (excluding logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit http://www.nationalarchives.gov. uk/doc/open-government-licence/ Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concernedThe review is wide-ranging in scope and overall our findings evidence a lack of appreciation among those producing research for the high-level principles of measurement and assessment of scale. To date, the approaches adopted by industry seem more designed for internal consumption and are usually contingent on particular technologies and/or sector perspectives. Typically, there is a lack of transparency in the methodologies and data used to form the basis of claims, making much of this an unreliable basis for policy formulation. The research approaches we found are characterised by a number of features that can be summarised as a preference for reactive approaches that look to establish snapshots of an important issue at the time of investigation. Most studies are ad hoc in nature and on the whole we found a lack of sustained longitudinal approaches that would develop the appreciation of change. Typically the studies are designed to address specific hypotheses that might serve to support the position of the particular commissioning body. To help bring some structure to this area, we propose a framework for the assessment of the volume of infringement in each different area. The underlying aim is to draw out a common approach wherever possible in each area, rather than being drawn initially to the differences in each field. We advocate on-going survey tracking of the attitudes, perceptions and, where practical, behaviours of both perpetrators and claimants in IP infringement. Clearly, the nature of perpetrators, claimants and enforcement differs within each IPR but in our view the assessment for each IPR should include all of these elements. It is important to clarify that the key element of the survey structure is the adoption of a survey sampling methodology and smaller volumes of representative participation. Once selection is given the appropriate priority, a traditional offline survey will have a part to play, but as the opportunity arises, new technological methodologies, particularly for the voluntary monitoring of online behaviour, can add additional detail to the overall assessment of the scale of activity. This framework can be applied within each of the IP right sectors: copyright, trademarks,patents, and design rights. It may well be that the costs involved with this common approach could be mitigated by a syndicated approach to the survey elements. Indeed, a syndicated approach has a number of advantages in addition to cost. It could be designed to reduce any tendency either to hide inappropriate/illegal activity or alternatively exaggerate its volume to fit with the theme of the survey. It also has the scope to allow for monthly assessments of attitudes rather than being vulnerable to unmeasured seasonal impacts

A multiple-case study of Cloud ERP in the Norwegian public sector: From adoption to implementation

Cloud computing (CC) technology has emerged as a favorable solution for organizations due to the urgent need for complex IT infrastructures. Hence, organizations across various sectors have moved their attention toward outsourcing computing platforms. Enterprise-resource planning (ERP) systems aid organizations in obtaining an understanding of business practices by allowing seamless integration of business accurate data for decision-making. Cloud ERP has the potential to deliver the same system functionalities as on-premise systems, at lower costs and effort. However, the uptake of such technologies has been reported as particularly low for public sector organizations (PSOs) when compared with private firms. This study aims to explore factors influencing Norwegian PSOs intention to adopt cloud ERP, and which critical success factors are considered vital for a successful implementation. Furthermore, we illustrate the dynamic relationship between barriers at distinct phases. The research questions have been studied in a multiple case study, where the data has been collected through individual semi-structured interviews with Norwegian PSO representatives who either plan to adopt or have already implemented cloud ERP. The findings align with previous research regarding factors such as availability, reduced costs, updates, and maintenance. The findings also support that there is a link between organizational size and the desire to adopt. Contradictory, the findings reveal previously reported barriers such as security, vendor lock-in, lack of customization, and data ownership not to be perceived as direct barriers. Accordingly, our findings indicate more willingness among Norwegian PSOs to embrace cloud ERP than previously reported. In the implementation stage, the findings closely resemble previous research. Factors such as user training, vendor selection, system integrations, and functionality are considered critical success factors among the Norwegian PSOs. One contradiction was discovered regarding project management, as the findings indicate that PSOs put more emphasis on a project team, rather than project management in isolation. Lastly, the results add to current research by identifying the dynamic interrelationship between barriers within distinct phases. Our findings suggest that open lines of communication amongst all parties involved are crucial throughout the entire process. The establishment of a solid contract is also considered vital