Abstract:

The Internet has changed everyday life, but there are still challenges to solve. Today’s students are the most connected in history, universally sharing personal information that has been historically considered private. There are changes in student awareness of security and privacy that have led to the popularity of applications like Snapchat that automatically destroys content and audit trails. Our study examines student perceptions of information sharing in order to propose new directions to improve security. The purpose of this study was to examine student perceptions (English & Spanish) of Internet security. The comprehensive mixed-methods study identifies what students in both the United States and Spain consider the biggest perceived threats online. Respondents identified their Internet usage habits and how issues regarding Internet security affects their usage habits and daily life. The study reviews how students in the United States and Spain perceive the Internet and it's security; what they perceive is the biggest threat on the Internet; if they change their computing habits based on their perceptions of Internet security; and identifies if there is a correlation between English and Spanish-speaking students in their overall perception of Internet security.

Keywords:

Information security, privacy, student perceptions.