Emotional and Practical Considerations Towards the Adoption and Abandonment of VPNs as a Privacy-Enhancing Technology
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Date
2020
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Proceedings on Privacy Enhancing Technologies
Abstract
Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) can help
people protect their privacy. Despite this, VPNs are
not widely used among the public. In this survey study
about the adoption and usage of VPNs, we investigate
people’s motivation to use VPNs and the barriers they
encounter in adopting them. Using data from 90 technologically
savvy participants, we find that while nearly
all (98%; 88) of the participants have knowledge about
what VPNs are, less than half (42%; 37) have ever used
VPNs primarily as a privacy-enhancing technology. Of
these, 18% (7) abandoned using VPNs while 81% (30)
continue to use them to protect their privacy online. In
a qualitative analysis of survey responses, we find that
people who adopt and continue to use VPNs for privacy
purposes are primarily motivated by emotional considerations,
including the strong desire to protect their privacy
online, wide fear of surveillance and data tracking
not only from Internet service providers (ISPs) but also
governments and Internet corporations such as Facebook
and Google. In contrast, people who are mainly
motivated by practical considerations are more likely to
abandon VPNs, especially once their practical need no
longer exists. These people cite their access to alternative
technologies and the effort required to use a VPN
as reasons for abandonment. We discuss implications of
these findings and provide suggestions on how to maximize
adoption of privacy-enhancing technologies such
as VPNs, focusing on how to align them with people’s
interests and privacy risk evaluation.
Description
Keywords
Privacy, Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), Judgment and decision making, Psychology, Privacyenhancing technologies
Citation
Namara, M., Wilkinson, D., Caine, K., & Knijnenburg, B. P. (2020). Emotional and Practical Considerations Towards the Adoption and Abandonment of VPNs as a Privacy-Enhancing Technology. Proc. Priv. Enhancing Technol., 2020(1), 83-102. DOI 10.2478/popets-2020-0006