Qualitative study on domestic social robot adoption and associated security concerns among older adults in Slovenia

IntroductionDespite the increasing use of domestic social robots by older adults, there remains a significant knowledge gap regarding attitudes, concerns, and potential adoption behavior in this population. This study aims to categorize older adults into distinct technology adoption groups based on their attitudes toward domestic social robots and their behavior in using the existing technology.MethodsAn exploratory qualitative research design was used, involving semi-structured interviews with 24 retired Slovenian older adults aged 65 years or older, conducted between 26 June and 14 September 2023.ResultsFour distinct groups of older adults were identified: (1) Cautious Optimists, (2) Skeptical Traditionalists, (3) Positive Optimists, and (4) Technophiles based on eight characteristics.DiscussionThese groups can be aligned with the categories of the Diffusion of Innovation Theory. Privacy and security concerns, influenced by varying levels of familiarity with the technology, pose barriers to adoption. Perceived utility and ease of use vary considerably between groups, highlighting the importance of taking into account the different older adults. The role of social influence in the adoption process is complex, with some groups being more receptive to external opinions, while others exhibit more autonomous decision-making

Do they feel like cops? Police culture among private security guards

Police culture can result in several problems that can manifest themselves in various side effects, such as excessive use of force or domestic violence. Such occupational culture is formed due to the different circumstances police officers encounter in their work, e.g., constant exposure to danger, high authority, the possibility of using force, the right to autonomous decision-making, and working in a strictly hierarchical environment. As private security guards also operate in public areas and often in the public interest and have the option of enforcing measures that in some cases extend to the degree of police powers, previous research indicated that there is a possibility that a police-like occupational culture prevails among private security guards. The paper identifies the elements of police culture among private security guards through the narrative literature review. The literature search was performed according to a pre-defined strategy. We pre-determined the keywords, inclusion criteria, search methods, and bibliographic databases. The identified literature was analyzed with the descriptive and comparative methods. The results indicate that despite differences in the nature of their work, attitudes, and values between security guards and police officers, significantly more related circumstances and factors suggest similarities in occupational cultures

The role of emojis and emoticons in social engineering

The purpose of this paper is to place the use of emojis and emoticons in communication, e.g., on social networks and with SMSs, to the field of social engineering. With a systematic literature survey in academic databases Web of Science and Scopus, and opportunistic search, 40 scientific papers about emojis and emoticons in social engineering were identified. The use of emojis and emoticons in communication is a form of direct communication as the sender directly influences the recipient. Emojis and emoticons are a universal tool that is understood by all communication technology users regardless of their demographics. Most of the analyzed studies employ a quantitative approach and span different research areas, such as marketing, psychology, sociology, etc. This paper represents one of the first systematic literature reviews that deal with emojis and emoticons in the context of social engineering. The findings of this paper may serve as a basis for further, especially qualitative research

Country life in the digital era

Cybercrime is one of the most significant security challenges of the 21st century. However, official statistics do not provide insights into its prevalence and nature. Representative cross-sectional field studies may help fill this gap, focusing on differences between urban and rural technology users. We (a) investigated the association between the purpose of computers and other electronic device usage and perceived vulnerability, (b) compared the differences in the purpose of computers or other electronic device use and perceived vulnerability, and (c) compared the perceived cyber victimization between residents of rural and urban areas. We conducted a field study that resulted in a representative sample of the Republic of Slovenia in Europe. We found several significant differences in the purpose of technology use and perceived cyber victimization. Furthermore, the results indicate that the purpose of technology use is somehow associated with perceived vulnerability in cyberspacehowever, such associations are different in cyberspace than in the material world

Na delegiranju zasnovan agilni pristop k razvoju varne programske opreme za mala in srednje velika podjetja

The software development workflow is typically defined by a specific development methodology and then further organized by distinct phases for more effective software production. Secure software development aims to integrate security measures throughout this process to create a more secure end product. However, agile methodologies face challenges incorporating security features due to their characteristics like adaptability, rapid release cycles, and continuous feedback. Existing solutions within the literature propose embedding permanent security roles, processes, and artifacts into agile methods. These solutions, however, are constrained by their lack of adaptability to situational factors and their method-specific designs, such as for Scrum or Extreme Programming (XP), limiting their applicability in different development methods. In this dissertation, we introduce two novel approaches: the "ATTRACT Approach" for secure software development and an approach for evaluating existing software development methods from a security perspective. Unlike existing solutions, the ATTRACT Approach is not tied to any particular software development methodology. It is designed to incrementally build security knowledge and awareness in a temporary and iterative manner, taking into account the unique circumstances of the development enterprise. It is particularly suited for small and medium-sized enterprises. Meanwhile, our evaluation approach assesses various development methods and their elements based on three core dimensions: enhanced security, cost-efficiency, and retained agility. Both approaches were evaluated in a real-world, longitudinal, multiple-case study. The findings suggest that adopting these approaches elevates the security knowledge and awareness of project teams, fosters security-focused problem-solving, enhances code quality and review processes, and encourages the implementation of customized security measures in the end products. While developers reported a learning curve in adapting these approaches, the teams overall found that their initial expectations were met.Delovni proces razvoja programske opreme je navadno določen z metodologijo razvoja, nato pa za učinkovitejše delo še organiziran v ločene faze. Da bi ustvarili varnejši končni izdelek, si razvoj varne programske opreme prizadeva vključevati varnostne ukrepe skozi celoten proces. Vendar pa se agilne metodologije soočajo z izzivi pri vključevanju varnostnih elementov zaradi svojih lastnosti, kot so prilagodljivost, kratki cikli in pogosto pridobivanje povratnih informacij. Obstoječe rešitve predstavljene v literaturi predlagajo trajno vključitev varnostnih vlog, procesov in artefaktov v agilne metode. Takšne rešitve so omejene zaradi svoje neprilagodljivosti situacijskim faktorjem in zaradi svoje prilagojenosti specifičnim metodam, kot npr. Scrum ali Extreme Programming (XP), kar omejuje njihovo uporabnost. V tej disertaciji predstavljamo dva nova pristopa: "ATTRACT pristop" za razvoj vare programske opreme in pristop za ocenjevanje obstoječih metod razvoja programske opreme z varnostnega vidika. Za razliko od obstoječih rešitev, pristop ATTRACT ni vezan na nobeno določeno metodo razvoja programske opreme. Zasnovan je tako, da postopoma izpopolnjuje znanje o v varnost usmerjenem razvoju in varnostno ozaveščenost na začasen in iterativen način, pri čemer upošteva edinstvene okoliščine razvojnega podjetja. Še posebej je primeren za mala in srednje velika podjetja. Medtem naš pristop za ocenjevanje pristopa k ocenjevanju različnih metod razvoja in njihovih elementov na podlagi treh osnovnih dimenzij: izboljšane varnosti, stroškovne učinkovitosti in ohranjanja agilnosti. Oba pristopa sta bila testirana v industrijskem okolju z longitudinalno študijo več primerov. Ugotovitve nakazujejo, da sprejetje teh pristopov dviga varnostno znanje in ozaveščenost projektnih skupin, spodbuja osredotočenost na reševanje varnostnih problemov, izboljša kakovost kode in procese pregledovanja kode ter spodbuja izvajanje prilagojenih varnostnih rešitev v končnih izdelkih. Čeprav so razvijalci poročali o krivulji učenja pri implementacijah teh pristopov, so skupine na splošno ugotovile, da so bila njihova začetna pričakovanja izpolnjena

Self-Protection against cyber attacks within organizations

Za zagotavljanje informacijske varnosti katerekoli organizacije, še posebej tistih, ki izhajajo iz podatkovno občutljivih in intenzivnih sektorjev, je poglavitnega pomena, da kibernetske grožnje prepoznava in se z njimi sooča sleherni zaposleni, ki se povezuje v kibernetski prostor. V pričujoči magistrski nalogi je s pomočjo spoznanj varnostno-motivacijske teorije, teorije izogibanja tehnološkim grožnjam in teorije psihološke reaktance predstaljen nov model samo-varovanja v kibernetskem prostoru znotraj organizacij. Model združuje omenjene pristope in oblikuje enovit pogled na obravnavano problematiko. V nalogi predstavljena teoretična izhodišča so empirično preverjena s primarno statistično analizo in potrjujejo večino postavljenih hipotez. Analiza kaže na skladnst ugotovitev z obstoječimi teorijami: na namero za varnostno ukrepanje vplivajo zaznana ogroženost pred spletnimi napadi, zaupanje v učinkovitost varnostnih ukrepov in lastna učinkovitost pri preprečevanju spletnih napadov. V nasprotju s pričakovanji pa na zaznano ogroženost, niti na namero za varnostno ukrepanje ne vplivajo zaznani stroški ukrepanja, niti zaznana obveznost varnostnega ukrepanja v organizaciji. Vpliva psihološke reaktance na namero za varnostno ukrepanje zaradi narave podatkov s katerimi smo razpolagali ni bilo mogoče preveriti. Ugotovitve raziskave lahko predstavljajo kamen v mozaiku raziskav o zagotavljanja višje stopnje informacijske varnosti v organizacijah.Abstract For ensuring organizational information security, it is important that all the employees who are accessing the cyber-space recognize and cope with cyber-threats individually. In this master\u27s thesis, a new model of self-protection in cyberspace within the organizations is proposed. A model is grounded on the findings of protection motivation theory, technology threat avoidance theory and the theory of psychological reactance. The model combines mentioned theoretical approaches and creates a uniform view of the issues discussed in this thesis. The proposed model presented in this thesis has been empirically verified. Analysis confirmed most of the proposed hypotheses and confirmed findings of the existing literature: intention to employ security measure is indeed influenced by the perceived threat to online attacks, perceived measure efficacy, and perceived self-efficacy in preventing online attacks. Contrary to our expectations, however, the perceived threat and the intention to employ security measures are not influenced by the perceived costs of the measure. Furthermore, intention to employ security measures is also not influenced by the perceived mandatoriness of taking security measures. The influence of psychological reactance on intention to employ cybersecurity measures could not be tested due to the nature of data. The findings are contributing to a higher level of information security in organizations.

Exploratory research on public attitudes toward the implementation of body-worn cameras in police procedures

Namen prispevka: Namen prispevka je predlagati in testirati eksploratorni teoretični model za ugotavljanje dejavnikov, ki napovedujejo odnos prebivalcev do nosljivih kamer, ki so v uporabi v policijskih postopkih. Metode: Teoretični model je bil predlagan na podlagi rezultatov obstoječe literature, ki širše obravnavajo tematiko sprejemanja tehnologije. Testiranje teoretičnega modela je bilo opravljeno s spletnim anketiranjem na vzorcu slovensko govorečih uporabnikov družbenega omrežja (n = 265). Ugotovitve: Najpomembnejša ugotovitev raziskave je, da na posameznikov odnos do uvedbe nosljivih kamer v policijske postopke močneje vplivajo splošna prepričanja o tehnologijah, kakor pa zaupanje v policijo in državo. Omejitve/uporabnost raziskave: Bralec mora pri interpretaciji rezultatov upoštevati, da je bila raziskava opravljena zgolj na družbenem omrežju med slovensko govorečimi uporabniki. Demografska struktura vzorca ne odraža demografske strukture populacije prebivalcev Republike Slovenije. Praktična uporabnost: Najpomembnejša implikacija raziskave je ugotovitev, da odpora do uvedbe nosljivih kamer v policijske postopke nismo zaznali. Prav tako ugotavljamo, da je za splošno javno sprejemanje uvedb novih tehnologij v policijske postopke bolj pomembno upoštevati prepričanja državljanov o tehnologijah na splošno kot pa prepričanja o policiji in državi. Izvirnost/pomembnost prispevka: Prispevek kot prvi v literaturi primerja dve različni skupini dejavnikov, ki napovedujejo odnos do nosljivih kamer v policijske postopke. Prav tako gre za prvo tovrstno raziskavo v Sloveniji.Purpose: The paper aims to propose and test an exploratory theoretical model for identifying factors that predict residents’ attitudes toward body-worn cameras used in police procedures. Design/Methods/Approach: The theoretical model was proposed based on the existing literature, which deals more broadly with technology acceptance. The theoretical model was tested using an online survey on a sample of Slovenian-speaking social network users (n = 265). Findings: The most important finding of the research is that general beliefs about technologies more strongly influence the individual’s attitude towards implementing body-worn cameras in police procedures than trust in the police and the state. Research Limitations/Implications: When interpreting the results, the reader must consider that the research was conducted only on a social network among Slovenian-speaking users. The demographic structure of the sample does not reflect the demographic structure of the population of the Republic of Slovenia. Practical Implications: Not detecting resistance to implementing body-worn cameras in police procedures can be deemed the most important implication of our research. We also find that for general public acceptance of introducing new technologies into police procedures, it is more important to consider citizens’ beliefs about technologies in general than beliefs about the police and the state. Originality/Value: As first in the literature, this article compares two different groups of factors predicting attitudes toward body-worn cameras in police procedures. It is also the first research of its kind in Slovenia

Theory of Psychological Reactance in Involuntary Interactions

Namen prispevka: Namen prispevka je opozoriti na psihološko reaktanco, kot eno izmed možnih pasti, ki izzove odpor udeležencev v (pred)kazenskem postopku in preprečuje učinkovito pridobivanje informacij. Ustrezen pristop k preiskovalnemu intervjuju je namreč ključnega pomena za uspešno pridobivanje relevantnih informacij, saj je voljno sodelovanje udeležencev v (pred)kazenskem postopku odločilnega pomena. Metode: Prispevek predstavlja teoretično-kvalitativni pristop k identifikaciji in opredelitvi problema skozi pregled strokovne in znanstvene literature. Ugotovitve: Teorija psihološke reaktance je od utemeljitve doživela precejšen razcvet in prepoznavnost. Skrb vzbujajoča je maloštevilnost (že skoraj odsotnost) raziskav na tako pomembnem področju, kot so (pred)kazenski postopki, kjer se pogosto odloča med svobodo in odvzemom prostosti, ponekod po svetu pa tudi med življenjem in smrtjo. Teorija psihološke reaktance se sicer uporablja v sodobnih zasliševalnih tehnikah, četudi v literaturi to (pre)pogosto ni eksplicitno poudarjeno. Izvirnost/pomembnost prispevka: Četudi teorija psihološke reaktance ni nova, področja, kjer je mogoče zaslediti njeno uporabo, pa nikakor niso maloštevilna (prav nasprotno!), v literaturi ni pogosto uporabljena. Pričujoči prispevek predstavlja opozorilo praktikom na še eno nezavedno čustveno reakcijo osumljencev, ki lahko otežuje ali celo onemogoča učinkovito pridobivanje ključnih informacij v (pred)kazenskem postopku.Purpose: Since the willing participation of the interviewee is crucial for obtaining relevant information, a proper approach to the investigation interview is of utmost importance. The purpose of the paper is to draw attention to the psychological reactance as one of the key factors evoking the resistance in willingness to participate of suspects (and other clients) in criminal procedures which can result in inefficient obtaining of relevant information. Methods: To identify and define the discussed problem, the paper presents a theoretical-qualitative literature review. Findings: The theory of psychological reactance has become very recognizable since its first proposal and is used in many research areas. Surprisingly, literature on crime investigation is very scarce with its attention to psychological reactance in investigative interviews. It is not often explicitly emphasized in existing literature, yet it is still used in modern interrogation techniques, although it is not always identified as such. Additional literature could prompt theoreticians and practitioners to implement this theory and its specific properties to their work in order to achieve better results in obtaining valuable and relevant information in criminal procedures. Originality/Value: Without proper attention, psychological reactance can obstruct or even block effective obtaining of relevant information in criminal procedures. This paper presents an important insight into the unconscious emotional reaction of resistance which can be evoked in working with suspects (or other clients in an involuntary interactions)