| Summary: | This is an inter-disciplinary thesis that uses social science methodology to examine the impact of ethics, privacy and trust in areas as apparently diverse as online advertising, national security surveillance measures, and the protection of critical infrastructures. The issues examined range from behavioural advertising to the public reaction to revelations of mass data surveillance by government security agencies. Academic research on privacy and the threat to users posed by vast amounts of personal information available online is summarised, along with challenges this poses for legislators. The use of smartphone application permissions to circumvent data protection regulation is examined, and it is proposed that evidence of a growing regard for user privacy and trust in online marketing may exert peer pressure on advertising networks to respect user privacy where regulators have failed. The revelations of Edward Snowden in June 2013 afforded an opportunity to research public attitudes to mass data surveillance measures. Chapter 5 presents key research findings gained from an analysis of online comments from readers in response to media reports on the BBC and Guardian websites. These show a lack of trust in governments to safeguard the personal data they have gathered, and a growing gap in knowledge among technical experts and the general Internet user on privacy and security issues. Chapter 6 documents the development of a privacy tool as part of a project funded under the EU FP7 Programme for critical infrastructure protection. An online privacy impact assessment questionnaire raises awareness among critical infrastructure operators of privacy and security of confidential information. It provides a score measuring compliance with legislation and global standards that can be used regularly to improve and maintain privacy and security of information compliance.
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