Home IoT resistance: Extended privacy and vulnerability perspective

Home Internet of Things (IoT) services are expected to augment the efficiency and comfort of users' daily lives; however, this expectation is eclipsed by concerns regarding privacy and vulnerability. While these concerns critically impact the acceptance of IoT services for the home, they have been discussed primarily from a traditional point of view; academic discussions of privacy and vulnerability in the current environment are lacking. This study extends existing privacy and vulnerability theories to demonstrate the importance of physical privacy and user vulnerability protections in home IoT environments. To validate the proposed research model, an empirical analysis was conducted on 265 samples with a partial least squares structural equation modeling technique. The differences in vulnerability factors, along with privacy concerns and resistance to home IoT services, were also compared by gender, experience, and type of housing. Results show that user vulnerability has the strongest impact on home IoT privacy concerns and resistance to home IoT environments. Additionally, this study found that personal factors appear differently across vulnerabilities, privacy concerns, and home IoT resistance. This study extends the traditional concepts of privacy and vulnerability to the home IoT environment.