Awareness and trust of web users on information sharing in social logins

Sammanfattning: Accessing websites using social networking credentials, also known as social login, is becoming increasingly popular as users do not need to create and maintain accounts on each and every website they access. During these social logins, the private information of users is shared with third-party websites from their social profile, and much of this happens behind the scenes which is abstracted from the user. However, as social logins are widespread, it is essential to understand the users’ views and appreciation towards the information being shared in the background. There is also a possibility of data leak or misuse when information is exchanged between a website and social networking site. Accordingly, the purpose of this study is to explore the perception of users towards their awareness and trust in social login. In addition, based on users’ needs and desires, the study aims to formulate suggestions for improving the awareness and trust of social login. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 6 students from Linnaeus University of Sweden to collect data. These interviews were transcribed and analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings revealed that users are conscious of their personal attributes being shared but are not aware that they can control, revise and revoke information sharing permissions. It was also found that users trust third parties to some extent but not the social networking sites. The study also suggested some improvement ideas for enhancing the awareness and trust of web users in social logins. In addition to contributing to the field of social login, the outcomes of this study also benefit users and web companies by helping to understand and increase the awareness and trust of web users on social logins.