Lachlan Moore, Tatsuya Mori (Waseda University, NICT)

This study delves into the utilization patterns, perceptions, and misconceptions surrounding Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) among users in Canada and Japan. We administered a comprehensive survey to 234 VPN users in these two countries, aiming to elucidate the motivations behind VPN usage, users’ comprehension of VPN functionality, and prevalent misconceptions. A distinctive feature of our research lies in its cross-cultural comparison, a departure from previous studies predominantly centered on users within a Western context. Our findings underscore noteworthy distinctions among participant groups. Specifically, Japanese users predominantly employ VPNs for security purposes, whereas Canadian users leverage VPNs for a more diverse array of services, encompassing privacy and access to region-specific content. Furthermore, disparities in VPN understanding emerged, with Canadians demonstrating a superior grasp of VPN applications despite limited technical knowledge, while Japanese participants exhibited a more profound understanding of VPNs, particularly in relation to encrypting transmitted traffic. Notably, both groups exhibited a constrained awareness regarding the data logging practices associated with VPNs. This research significantly contributes to the broader comprehension of VPN usage and sheds light on the cultural intricacies that shape VPN adoption and perceptions, offering valuable insights into the diverse motivations and behaviors of users in Canada and Japan.

View More Papers

A Duty to Forget, a Right to be Assured?...

Hongsheng Hu (CSIRO's Data61), Shuo Wang (CSIRO's Data61), Jiamin Chang (University of New South Wales), Haonan Zhong (University of New South Wales), Ruoxi Sun (CSIRO's Data61), Shuang Hao (University of Texas at Dallas), Haojin Zhu (Shanghai Jiao Tong University), Minhui Xue (CSIRO's Data61)

Read More

From Hardware Fingerprint to Access Token: Enhancing the Authentication...

Yue Xiao (Wuhan University), Yi He (Tsinghua University), Xiaoli Zhang (Zhejiang University of Technology), Qian Wang (Wuhan University), Renjie Xie (Tsinghua University), Kun Sun (George Mason University), Ke Xu (Tsinghua University), Qi Li (Tsinghua University)

Read More

PrintListener: Uncovering the Vulnerability of Fingerprint Authentication via the...

Man Zhou (Huazhong University of Science and Technology), Shuao Su (Huazhong University of Science and Technology), Qian Wang (Wuhan University), Qi Li (Tsinghua University), Yuting Zhou (Huazhong University of Science and Technology), Xiaojing Ma (Huazhong University of Science and Technology), Zhengxiong Li (University of Colorado Denver)

Read More

Decentralized Information-Flow Control for ROS2

Nishit V. Pandya (Indian Institute of Science Bangalore), Himanshu Kumar (Indian Institute of Science Bangalore), Gokulnath M. Pillai (Indian Institute of Science Bangalore), Vinod Ganapathy (Indian Institute of Science Bangalore)

Read More