Vietnamese privacy concerns and security in using online social networks

Abstract

According to a report by Vietnam Network Information Center (VNNIC) on Vietnam internet resources in 2012, the number of internet users in Vietnam had increased by 15 times compared to 2000. As a result of increased internet usage, 35.49% of the Vietnamese population had a 53% chance of encountering online threats without even knowing it. The purpose of this research is to investigate the relationship and influence of security and privacy issues on internet users’ trust, and their intention to participate in a safe online community in order to provide preliminary insights for building a safer online social network (OSN) landscape in Vietnam by examining the relationships among online privacy concerns, security, trust, and intention. Using structural equation modelling, the findings show that ‘privacy’ correlates with ‘security’ but these two variables do not have a significant impact on users’ trust. Moreover, only ‘trust’ and ‘security’ affect users’ intention to use OSN.