Personalized WhatsApp Privacy: Demographic and Cultural Influences on Indian and Saudi Users

34 Pages Posted: 6 Jun 2019

See all articles by Jayati Dev

Jayati Dev

Indiana University Bloomington - School of Informatics and Computing

Sanchari Das

University of Denver

Yasmeen Rashidi

affiliation not provided to SSRN

L. Jean Camp

Indiana University Bloomington - School of Informatics and Computing

Date Written: May 20, 2019

Abstract

We offer an analysis of privacy perceptions and behaviors that focus on one of the most popular social networking platforms in cultures where it is heavily used. WhatsApp is the most popular social platform in many parts of the world, specifically on the Arabian peninsula and India. Saudi Arabia has the highest density of WhatsApp adoption, and India has the largest number of WhatsApp adopters. Prior research on security and privacy in social applications have focused primarily on Western users, and thus on Facebook. We report on an analysis of privacy perceptions and behaviors of Arab and Indian WhatsApp users. We examine the results of surveys of a total of 820 Saudis, non-Saudi Arabs, and Indians who use WhatsApp for their daily interactions. Each survey queried participants` use (or avoidance) of features and their concerns about privacy in WhatsApp, as well as asking demographic questions. We report significantly different preferences and influences on behaviors. These differences, especially when it comes to gender, provide a nuanced and complex picture of privacy through the lens of WhatsApp use. We conclude with privacy recommendations for WhatsApp, specifically, and for privacy in social networks generally for Indian and Arabs WhatsApp customers. The recommendations address blocking, location sharing, and group dynamics to empower WhatsApp users in these populations.

Keywords: computing, privacy, security, gender, culture, social networks

Suggested Citation

Dev, Jayati and Das, Sanchari and Rashidi, Yasmeen and Camp, L. Jean, Personalized WhatsApp Privacy: Demographic and Cultural Influences on Indian and Saudi Users (May 20, 2019). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3391021 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3391021

Jayati Dev

Indiana University Bloomington - School of Informatics and Computing ( email )

Informatics West, Room 204
901 E. 10th Street
Bloomington, IN 47408
United States

Sanchari Das

University of Denver ( email )

2201 S. Gaylord St
Denver, CO 80208-2685
United States

Yasmeen Rashidi

affiliation not provided to SSRN

L. Jean Camp (Contact Author)

Indiana University Bloomington - School of Informatics and Computing ( email )

901 E 10th St
Bloomington, IN 47401
United States

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