EMERGING CHALLENGES WITH INTERNET OF THINGS

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine the current IoT users’ privacy concerns and to highlight the emerging challenges of several IoT users’ privacy and security practices. This paper discusses the emerging challenges of several IoT users’ privacy and security practices and surface several IoT challenges that are expected to emerge as the digital world expands. The study utilized a qualitative approach to explore factors related to users’ perceptions and social perspectives as defined and measured by the Protection Motivation Theory (PMT) and the Diffusion of Innovation (DOI) models. The study used a total of 17 participants with varying levels of education and years of professional experience ranging from 2 to over 30 years in different industries. The data revealed four recurring themes: (1) Security Concerns, (2) Consumer Awareness, (3) Privacy Concerns, (4) Data Ownership, (5) Policy and Laws, and (6) Financial Benefits.