Parents, Educators, and Caregivers Cybersecurity and Privacy Concerns for Remote Learning during COVID-19

Abstract

In 2020, there was a sudden and internationally widespread shift towards remote learning, primarily stemming from a need to facilitate learning while also maintaining the physical safety of students and community members. While there are benefits to remote learning, increased integration and use of Internet Communication Technology (ICT) has the potential to create opportunities for cyber threats that exist within the digital environment. These threats can range from unauthorized use of webcam, an increased risk for phishing, to increased time spent online and risk of cyberbullying as well. To this aid, our goal is to seek to understand the users' privacy concerns and security risks related to the remote learning process. For this, we conducted a survey-based study with 520 participants. Through thematic analysis we obtained an understanding of the perceptions of parents, teachers, and caregivers of children attending online educational institutions. We found that most participants have experienced a cybersecurity or privacy-related incident pertaining to remote learning. We conclude by providing suggestions based on our findings to create a more secure and privacy-preserving online education experience for the users.

Keywords: Remote Learning, Online Education, Survey, Thematic Analysis, COVID-19, Parents, Educators, Caregivers