When: Thursday, September 28, 12:00 p.m.

Where: 1305 Newell-Simon Hall

Supriya Singh, Professor, Sociology of Communications
The Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT), Australia

ISRI Seminar
The PhD Program in Computation, Organizations & Society

Abstract:
Social and cultural practices challenge the assumptions of security design. In banking authentication, it is assumed a person will be using confidential access codes for his or her individual computer to conduct transactions. Consumer protection policy in Australia also makes these assumptions. A qualitative user-centered design study of banking and security in Australia challenges the assumption of confidentiality for it shows that the practice of sharing passwords for Internet banking is not uncommon among married and de facto couples. It is seen as a practical way of managing money and a demonstration of trust. Sharing passwords for Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) and Electronic Funds Transfer at Point of Sale (EFTPOS) is also a common practice among the Torres Straits Islanders and remote Aboriginal communities in Australia.

The second assumption of individual personal access is dramatically challenged in developing countries like India where public rather than personal Internet access is the norm. At present, technical and policy reaction to these security breaches is to call for greater education and awareness. Our study shows that even expert IT users share passwords in some contexts. In the Torres Straits Islands and remote Aboriginal communities, sharing passwords is at times the only way to gain access to cash. Public Internet access is often the only way to connect to a bank. We propose that we build on the approaches of user-centered security, but see the user in his or her social and cultural context. This will mean that security designers would start with an understanding of social and cultural practice, and design for the shared use of access codes and the public use of communications devices. Social and cultural practice centered security design will enable the Internet to be used in ways that are effective for individuals and their communities.

Professor Supriya Singh is Professor, Sociology of Communications at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT), Melbourne, Australia. Supriya's research interests focus on the sociology of money, user-centered design, and the domestic aspects of globalization. She co-heads the project on Trust, Privacy, Identity and Security at the Smart Internet Technology Cooperative Research Centre, an Australian wide university, industry and government initiative. For more information, see
http://www.ucd.smartinternet.com.au/

For appointments please contact jmlucas@cs.cmu.edu

<< Back