Cybercrime Unmasked: The Surprising Ways You’re Leaving Yourself Vulnerable Without Knowing It
New research from the University of East Anglia reveals a potential risk of cybercrime linked to repeated questioning. According to a recent study, people tend to disclose more personal information when asked the same questions multiple times, which can leave them vulnerable to identity theft and cybercrime. The research team emphasizes the need to understand why individuals share personal data to inform measures to mitigate this growing problem.
From online subscriptions to customer surveys, the mining of personal data has become a pervasive practice, making it the most valuable commodity in the modern world. However, for those who willingly share their personal information, there are potential risks and costs associated with it.
According to Dr. Piers Fleming, lead researcher at UEA’s School of Psychology, individuals are continuously bombarded with requests for their personal details, ranging from subscription requests to online newspapers, to turning off ad-blockers and completing customer surveys.
For instance, social media platforms may prompt users to share additional profile information such as school or workplace, while email requests may ask for a slight increase in monthly charity donations.
“This can lead to minor inconveniences such as junk emails or more disruptive potential consequences such as identity theft.”
The motivation behind this research was to better understand the reasons why people share a significant amount of personal information, especially on social media platforms, without taking adequate measures to protect it from unauthorized access.
According to the lead researcher, the repeated requests for personal information from advertisers, marketers, and social media experts are designed to increase compliance. Therefore, the aim of the study was to investigate how these repeated requests impact human behavior and whether they lead individuals to disclose personal information that they would not typically share.
In this study, the research team recruited 27 participants to share personal information online, ranging from basic details like height, weight, and phone number, to their opinions on sensitive topics such as immigration, abortion, and politics. Participants were then asked to rank the questions from least to most intrusive and indicate how much of their personal information they would be willing to sell to a purpose-built website for a two-week period.
Furthermore, the team asked participants again how much information they would be willing to sell for a chance to earn more money if it were to be available on the website for an additional two weeks. In a separate larger online study, 132 participants were recruited to answer personality questions and asked to disclose how much personal information they would be willing to sell at two different time points.
Dr. Fleming stated that the initial study demonstrated how repeated requests for personal data can lead to increased disclosure of information. The second study replicated this effect and found that individuals’ concerns about privacy remained unchanged even though their behavior changed.
This pattern of requesting progressively more user data over time is reminiscent of a classic compliance technique known as the “foot-in-the-door” effect. This tactic aims to persuade individuals to agree to a larger request by first having them agree to a smaller one. It is a prevalent practice in consumer behavior and charitable giving.
The findings of this study are significant because a better understanding of why people share personal data can promote greater sharing when it is mutually beneficial while also safeguarding against over-sharing, which can lead to harm.
The research team has recommended that businesses and consumers adopt measures to ensure that the level of personal information disclosed aligns with an individual’s personal beliefs to achieve mutual benefit.
“For example,” Dr. Fleming adds, “we suggest practical measures, such as forewarning people to protect their privacy across repeated requests should be effective at reducing this effect.”
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