Time, Money, and Freedom – The Costs of Internet Users’ Privacy and Security Concerns

Abstract

Internet users with controversial viewpoints may be hesitant to voice their opinions online because they are concerned about consequences that could be inflicted by various entities. Firings, bans from social media, and doxing are some examples of the consequences. Users also have varying opinions about spending money for cybersecurity products and services. Concerns about the risks linked with online free expression may influence such opinions. In addition, some Internet users spend valuable time thinking about and configuring the security settings of their devices. Such time is spent to mitigate the security and privacy risks of the Internet. Some people may be irritated by the amount of time required. Users may be hesitant to express themselves online merely because configuring their devices for a sufficient level of security and privacy is a prerequisite for them, but it takes too much time and effort. Users may, for example, be aware of anonymizing tools and desire to express themselves online, but decide that spending time on anonymity is simply too much effort. The associations between time spent on personal cybersecurity, the reluctance to express online, and a proclivity to purchase cybersecurity and cyberprivacy solutions do not appear to have been previously studied. The present work investigates the associations. A model is constructed to represent hypotheses, and data was collected using a survey. The model is validated by analyses on the data. The research results show the interrelationships between novel latent factors: 1. time spent by users on their device security and privacy settings, 2. users’ proclivity towards purchasing personal cybersecurity and cyberprivacy solutions, and 3. users’ reluctance to freely express themselves online. Relationships were found between the factors and some demographic and cultural variables. Additional security and privacy issues of smartphones are also considered for their potential impacts on Internet users’ behaviors. Finally, some new terminology is proposed to help understand the societal implications of modern technological advancements.