Determining the antecedents of digital security practices in the general public dimension

Abstract

Our increased reliance on digital information and our expansive use of the Internet for a steadily rising number of tasks requires that more emphasis be placed on digital information security. The importance of securing digital information is apparent but the success in persuading individual users to adopt and utilize tools to improve security has been arguably more difficult. In this study, we propose a number of factors that may influence individual security practices. These constructs are developed by adapting existing theory from information security and privacy research to examine information security behaviors in the general public dimension. The influence of these factors on perceived need and actual behavior is then examined. The resulting model is shown to fit well and support is found for many of the proposed relationships. The determination of the antecedents of individual digital security practices may provide useful insight to tailoring programs for adoption and utilization of security tools by individuals in the general public dimension.