| dc.description.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. | en_US |
