Carleton University - School of Computer Science Honours Project
Winter 2022
Secure Web Browsing: User Motivations
Umai Balendra
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ABSTRACT
Secure web browsing applies the concept of ‘security’ to the common activity of web brows- ing. Through web browsers, users can access websites using the Internet and perform a range of activities. Relevant literature focused on conducting research on specific web browsing tools (e.g., private/incognito browsing mode, security warnings), in which participants were often placed in controlled environments and were instructed to interact with pre-selected tools. Prior research also mainly studied American and international participants. To better understand what mo- tivates users to engage in secure web browsing, we conducted an online questionnaire with 23 Canadian participants. We found that participants were motivated to engage in secure web brows- ing to gain extrinsic rewards by maintaining their privacy (especially for banking information) and avoiding third-parties. Our findings also demonstrate that participants form expectations for secure web browsing functionalities based on incomplete mental models/perceptions. In the end, we share next steps for future researchers to continue this research.