Paternalism and Self-Reliance on Personal Security in the Information and Communication Environment

Abstract

The research is devoted to the study of the personal security level in the information and communication environment. The purpose of this work is to determine the citizens’ subjective opinion about the information security level in the information and communication environment and the role of the state in these processes. The study is based on data of sociological survey conducted in 2019 among the population of the Kursk region as a subject of the Russian Federation. The sample included 1000 respondents aged 16 and over living in urban and rural settlements in the region. Based on the understanding of the information and communication environment as an anthropo- sociotechnical phenomenon, the author concludes that personality is one of the key elements of information security in the triad (man — communications — technology). The study has fixed that users assess their life in the information and communication environment as dangerous. But at the same time, despite the fact that citizens face with the attackers’ actions, a significant part of them are in no hurry to recognize the Internet as criminal. The study has determined that issues of personal cybersecurity and self-reliance prevail over paternalism. Network users should not only be aware of possible types and schemes of fraud, but also of software protection methods and anti-virus products.