Cloud Storage Privacy and Security User Awareness: A Comparative Analysis between Dutch and Macedonian Users

Abstract

There are many factors influencing the user awareness level of privacy and security concerns when storing data on the cloud. One such factor is the users’ cultural background, which has been an inspiration to many studies comparing various cultures. Along those lines, this paper compares the user awareness level between Dutch and Macedonian users, which has not been investigated before. An online study was conducted to measure users’ attitude towards privacy and security of data in the cloud-based systems. The research process was conducted by delivering an online survey to Computer Science students and employees working in different software companies in the Netherlands and Macedonia. The comparative analysis indicates that there are differences in user’s attitude towards storing private data in the cloud. The results of this paper demonstrate that Dutch compared to Macedonian users in general have higher level of awareness regarding the privacy and security of cloud storage.