Staying Safe Online: Online Privacy Management Behaviour Among Deaf Community
Puspa Melati Wan, Affezah Ali, Hamdan Mohd Salleh, Nor Alina Ismail · European Proceedings of Multidisciplinary Sciences · 2022
Statistics on internet usage and reliance in Malaysia have shown staggering annual growth, especially among youths. Though advantages of technology adoption are acknowledged, the issue of cybersecurity has been a rising concern with incremental cases over the years. To ensure users' safety and devise an inclusive action plan, it is imperative to understand the usage pattern and the factors that promote or hinder certain online behaviours. This understanding can only be done by looking at different subgroups as there may be unique experiences, such as the Deaf community. Since there have been limited studies on Malaysian Deaf youths' privacy management behaviour, this study is imperative to be explored. Methodologically, 17 Malaysian Deaf youth were chosen through a multi-stage sampling method. Semi-structured interviews and face-to-face surveys were conducted in Bahasa Isyarat Malaysia (BIM) by an interpreter to examine the extent of Deaf youth engagement in online privacy management as well as to investigate the factors that contribute to or hinder their privacy management behaviour. It was found that the respondents mainly engaged in basic privacy management behaviours due to their lack of exposure to the technical aspects of privacy management as well as the negative repercussions of their behaviours. These findings point to the urgent need for further awareness and education training among the Deaf community to ensure that all users are safe amidst the further technological advancement of the nation.