O nível de literacia dos utilizadores da internet face à publicidade online comportamental, tratamento de dados e políticas de privacidade

: estudo de caso sobre o Barreiro

Abstract

With the increased need for users to engage with digital platforms and the resulting expand of data production, users' personal information is more accessible for data treatment, namely, to target online behavioral advertising, which can cause vulnerabilities in users' privacy. The purpose of this dissertation is to understand the relationship between the level of literacy regard to online behavioral advertising, data treatment and privacy policies, and the adoption of data protection and online privacy behaviors among Internet users in Barreiro, that is witnessing a consecutive population aging and has one of the highest illiteracy and school dropout rates compared to the Lisbon Metropolitan Area average. Given the population's increasingly evident need to get involved with digital platforms, understanding the literacy level of a locality with these characteristics becomes imperative for digital integration without compromising the most vulnerable users. To carry out the study, exploratory interviews were conducted with the entities responsible for digital literacy and inclusion programs and a questionnaire survey was sent to a diverse sample of 273 users. The level of literacy of Internet users living in Barreiro is low and incomplete, since few users understand the purpose of online behavioral advertising, data treatment and privacy policies, as well as how to carry out protection behaviors. It was found that the level of literacy is a means of enabling users to adopt and practice informed behaviors about online protection and privacy, and that digital literacy initiatives enable the development of users' personal skills, which are reflected in the alignment of their perceptions and behavioral intentions with their actual behaviors, especially among the most vulnerable users.

Date of Award	7 Feb 2025
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Carla Ganito (Supervisor)