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Juhani Rauhalas research investigates relationships between Internet users’ attitudes and behavior across three main themes: 1. Their tendency to spend time on their devices’ security and privacy settings and their perceptions about doing that; 2. Their reluctance to freely express themselves online; and 3. Their behavior and attitudes towards purchasing personal cybersecurity products and services.

Our research found novel constructs that correspond to the themes. We also found relationships between the constructs. Our results indicate that users who perceive that their device security and privacy settings take too much time to adjust tend to be reluctant to express controversial viewpoints online.

Some results were surprising

Analyses were also performed across some demographic variables that included nationalities.

– We had expected that Internet users from different cultures would have correspondingly different tendencies to engage in controversial online expression and in actions to protect their online privacy and security, says Juhani Rauhala, the dissertation author. – However, for the four nationalities we compared, no significant differences were found between their users’ expression reluctance. The attitudes and behaviors of users toward their device security and privacy settings differed across cultures.

– The lack of difference in expression reluctance between the nationalities is surprising in light of established cultural parameters and freedom indices that show clear differences in the pertinent cultural characteristics and legal frameworks between countries.

The results of this research can be helpful to governments and Internet regulators, and to the manufacturers of cybersecurity products and services.

M.Sc. (Eng.), Eur Ing Juhani Rauhala defends his doctoral dissertation in Software and Communications Engineering, "Time, Money, and Freedom – The Costs of Internet Users’ Privacy and Security Concerns".

Opponent Associate Professor Aggeliki Tsohou (Ionian University, Greece) and Custos Professor Pasi Tyrväinen (Ä¢¹½Ö±²¥). The doctoral dissertation is held in English.

Publication:  

The audience can follow the dissertation in the lecture hall or online. Link to the Zoom Webinar event (Zoom application or Google Chrome web browser recommended): 

Phone number to which the audience can present possible additional questions at the end of the event (to the custos): +358 40 5408646