Online Privacy Awareness and Cyber Victimisation among State University Undergraduates in Sri Lanka

Abstract

The internet has both positive and negative consequences for its users. The higher education today is inseparable from technology, and students must be able to navigate cyberspace. However, it appears that many undergraduates lack awareness of online privacy and become vulnerable to cyber victimization. Consistent with this stream of research, this study aims to ascertain whether there is a relationship between privacy awareness and sex of the undergraduate and determine the nature of online safety measures practiced among undergraduates. For this purpose, data were collected through a survey questionnaire from a random sample of 148 undergraduates, including all faculties from a metropolitan university in Sri Lanka. SPSS and excel were utilized for data analysis where the one-way ANOVA test and regression analysis were applied to determine the difference between variables. The regression analysis concluded with a negative relationship between privacy awareness and the female undergraduates. Findings of the research established that 31.5% of female undergraduates were concerned about security on social media accounts. Though 16.4% of female undergraduates were exposed to unusual activities such as unauthorized access on their social media accounts, for male undergraduates it was 13.3%. To avoid such activities conducting awareness programmes from Faculty IT centres, organising awareness programmes parallel to cybersecurity weeks, and workshops by Sri Lankan Emergency Readiness Team (SLCERT) would help to improve the knowledge of the students on online privacy.