Perception of Information Sensitivity for Internet Users in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

The rapid evolution of Internet use has led to the collection of big data about users, which has raised users’ privacy concerns about their personal information. This study adopts the hypothesis to evaluate the perception of the information sensitivity of Internet users in Saudi Arabia as research subjects. This study analyzes the sensitivity of 35 types of information through a questionnaire with answers from 508 participants from Saudi Arabia and estimates the cultural influence by comparing Saudi results with users from the USA, Brazil and Germany. Demographic information, such as age, gender, marital status and education, and attitude characteristics, such as disposition to privacy, propensity to take risks, privacy violation experience and trust in institutions, influence Saudi individuals’ perception of sensitivity towards various types of information. The survey results show slight differences in the sensitivity levels between Internet users in Saudi Arabia and their counterparts in other nations. Ultimately, this study contributes to improving the international model of information sensitivity perception between different nations.