Ripples down under: New Zealand youngsters’ attitudes and conduct following Snowden

Published date14 August 2017
Date14 August 2017
Pages297-310
DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1108/JICES-10-2016-0042
AuthorGehan Gunasekara,Andrew A. Adams,Kiyoshi Murata
Subject MatterInformation & knowledge management,Information management & governance,Information & communications technology
Ripples down under: New Zealand
youngstersattitudes and conduct
following Snowden
Gehan Gunasekara
Business School, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
Andrew A. Adams
Centre for Business Information Ethics, Meiji University, Tokyo, Japan, and
Kiyoshi Murata
School of Commerce, Meiji University, Tokyo, Japan
Abstract
Purpose This study aims to test the attitudes towards and social consequences of Edward Snowdens
revelations in New Zealand, taking into account New Zealands socio-cultural and political environment
especiallyas regards privacy and state surveillance.
Design/methodology/approach A questionnaire survey of 66 university students and semi-
structured follow-up interviewswith 18 respondents were conducted, in addition to reviews of the literature
on privacy andstate surveillance in New Zealand. The outcomesof the survey were statistically analysedand
qualitativeanalyses of the interview results were also performed.
Findings Despite a lack of detailed knowledge concerning Snowdensrevelations and a relative lack of
knowledge of domestic law enforcementagencies, as well as those devoted to protecting human rights and
privacy, the revelations havehad a noticeable effect on New Zealand youngstersattitudestowards privacy
and state surveillance, mainly evidenced in their willingness to emulate Snowdens actions and in their
changed onlinebehaviour, thereby demonstrating a chillingeffect.
Practical implications The study results suggestyounger New Zealanders are aware of and concerned
with their privacy and that the government should better publicise the existing mechanisms for protecting
human rights and privacy as well as for whistle-blowing by individualsto give effect to the aspirations of
younger citizensin particular.
Social implications The results of this study, based on a questionnaire survey, indicates that state
surveillance and other threats to privacy are issues of concern to younger New Zealanders and that better
public education is needed as to the mechanisms that are available for citizens to protect their privacy and
human rights.
Originality/value This study is the rst attempt to investigate the social impact of Snowdens
revelations on New Zealand youngstersattitudes toward privacy and state surveillance as part of cross-
culturalanalyses between eight countries.
Keywords New Zealand, Surveillance, Privacy, Social impact, Edward Snowden
Paper type Research paper
This study was supported by the MEXT (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and
Technology, Japan) Programme for Strategic Research Bases at Private Universities (2012-16) project
Organisational Information EthicsS1291006 and the JSPS Grant-in-Aid for Scientic Research (B)
15H03385, (B) 25285124 and (B) 24330127. The authors appreciate the cooperation for developing the
questionnaire and conducting the surveys provided by Ana Maria Lara Palma.
Ripples down
under
297
Received 31 October 2016
Revised 31 March 2017
1 April 2017
Accepted 2 April 2017
Journalof Information,
Communicationand Ethics in
Society
Vol.15 No. 3, 2017
pp. 297-310
© Emerald Publishing Limited
1477-996X
DOI 10.1108/JICES-10-2016-0042
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/1477-996X.htm

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