Shirley Atkinson

Securing the next generation: enhancing e-safety awareness among young people

Children and young people inhabit a fast-moving, ever-more-complex space, with interconnected technologies forming an underlying communications backbone. 1 Not only do they have their mobile devices, but they are also surrounded by personal computers of many types, shapes and sizes. Moreover, as the UK Office of Communications (Ofcom) report on media literacy illustrates, as young people grow into their teens they amass a large amount of their own technology. 2 They may well have dedicated laptops and desktops along with digital TV and a selection of gaming consoles, all of which provide them with the means to go online.

Improving protection mechanisms by understanding online risk

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to examine privacy risks for two groups of individuals for whom privacy is an important issue. Understanding the risks to vulnerable groups leads to the development of a prototype tool used to inform users about areas of potential harm in their online behaviour.Design/methodology/approach – Data collection employed a number of qualitative approaches in order to best understand both the risks and the social context surrounding them. Semi‐structured interviews, focus groups and questionnaires were all utilised where appropriate. Subjects were selected from two groups of individuals for whom the abuse of personal information could lead to serious harm – teenagers and domestic abuse survivors.Findings – The findings provide specific examples of risks posed to the two groups of individuals involved in the study and demonstrate the need for protection mechanisms that promote the awareness of potential risk among vulnerable internet users. These formed the basis of the r...

Online addiction: privacy risks in online gaming environments

In this paper we investigated the levels of addiction and personal data disclosure within Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game environments (MMORPGs). The study made use of an online survey which embraced a combination of a six point behavioural addiction framework, Self Determination Theory and Impression Management theory to assess addictive behaviour and consequential data disclosure amongst a sample representative of 188 Singaporean based MMORPG gamers. Results found that pathological gaming addiction had a direct effect on levels of personal and sensitive data disclosure and participants who were disclosing high amounts of data were considered more vulnerable to exploitation and predation.

Semantic Web: A Personal Privacy Perspective

This paper describes an ongoing investigation into the potential impact that the Semantic Web could have on the personal privacy of individuals. The argument presented is that personal privacy should become part of the underlying architecture and design of the Semantic Web in order to limit the vulnerability of individuals. The current structure of the Semantic Web does not explicitly address the issue of the control of personal data, which could in turn lead to individuals being placed in positions of vulnerability. Personal privacy is seen as a major element of vulnerability and has caused some dilemmas from the legal perspective, balancing those who would hide their wrongdoing behind privacy against those who would be exposed to harm if there were no privacy. Issues of privacy are explored from the perspective of three groups of individuals: survivors of domestic violence; people who are not IT specialists; and teenagers. The impact of current web technologies on these groups is explored in order to gain insight into how the Semantic Web might be adapted. The paper concludes with a proposal for further research into the development of a Semantic Web tool which will aim to support individuals in identifying the potential threats to their privacy that arise from each sortie into cyberspace. Particular emphasis will be given to the issues faced by vulnerable groups and individuals.