Introduction
With the rise in popularity of smartphones and tablets, the elderly now make up a sizable portion of the population who utilize digital goods and services. However, the elderly’s internet habits pose a risk to their online security (2). The papers under analysis concentrate on how risk management theory may be used to investigate the elderly’s danger to their online privacy (3).
The articles give a thorough empirical investigation of older persons’ privacy-related behavior, together with a risk factor effect analysis. As a consequence of the article’s study, it was discovered that risk incentives mostly compromised the elderly’s digital privacy in two ways (4). The first is a lack of privacy awareness since older individuals frequently give too much personal information and pay little attention to the privacy settings offered by digital goods and services.
Lack of IT expertise is the second barrier to protecting their online privacy. Social networking websites are a part of daily life. However, certain activities are more regular and prevalent than others. Therefore, researchers were careful to pick acts that may be seen on a social media platform, such as providing background and personal information.
Through these behaviors, they may learn more about how older adults share information and how gender differences in their attitudes toward privacy on social media affect them. Since social support has long been recognized as a key factor in influencing technological decisions, they contend that users of social media websites are impacted by the behaviors of their peers, particularly when making judgments about sharing information while protecting their privacy.
Background
As the population ages, it is projected that an increasing number of elderly individuals will continue to live in their current homes. Mobile robots, whose market is predicted to expand further, might help them with particular jobs. However, tests already conducted indicate that prospective consumers are concerned about their privacy (6).
In this article, there is a need to comprehend the mechanisms underlying these worries and explore their preferences regarding several informational privacy-related features. Technology can help manage health issues and diseases, monitor and sustain health, and prevent disease (7). Given that the risk of having a handicap or health condition rises with age, older persons may benefit most from employing health technology.
Literature Review
Analyzing relevant literature, seniors might gain from this digital healthcare technology as they frequently utilize healthcare services and have transportation issues. The rise in the demand for aged care services and the economic and social difficulties facing public health further increase the importance of telemedicine in this setting. Empirical investigations and review studies have demonstrated the significance of researching the application of telemedicine in the care of older people (7). Studies on acceptance and behavioral intents, continuing usage, and decisions about the use of telemedicine are a few empirical examples. Other academics have concentrated on examining the data supporting the use of telemedicine generally or in particular situations, including ambulatory, home, and teleophthalmology (5).
Reviews of telemedicine now mainly focus on system use, adoption, user involvement, and the function of these technologies in healthcare provision. The use of telemedicine in elder care, however, needs to be properly investigated and contextualized in terms of context and privacy (1). There has been a rise in interest and focus in health informatics research to study the privacy concerns and hazards that need to be addressed, particularly in the post-COVID-19 environment and as healthcare delivery evolves toward telemedicine. Similar to this issue, policymakers must look at methods to make data privacy a key policy subject to advance toward an ecosystem of successful use of precision medicine.
Results
It has been found that 37% of persons over 75 years old report having three or more chronic diseases, while 34% of adults aged 65 and over report having a health condition or impairment (7). According to survey results, older persons are aware that health technology can help them maintain their independence and live in their own houses. According to three-fourths of AARP survey participants, telemedicine might be used to allow medical professionals to diagnose or keep track of a patient’s health status from a distance (7).
Technology may also lessen the mishandling of medications and illnesses, which might significantly influence society. The 55+ age group is one of the categories whose Internet usage in daily life is expanding most quickly. The narrative is far more complex than is widely believed, despite popular knowledge generally indicating that this group adopts information and communication technologies (ICT) at a lesser rate.
ICTs, for instance, have been demonstrated to enhance older people’s knowledge, commercial operations, and social ties. In the coming years, a sizable portion of the baby boomer generation—generally those born in the 1940s and 1950s—is anticipated to enter retirement (1). As a result, they will become more engaged Internet users and depend more and more on online services to support their retirement lifestyle (1).
Seniors have emerged as a lucrative target demographic for commercial websites and those that include social networking options (like Facebook) (1). The growth of multiple AARP (previously American Association of Retired Persons) Facebook chapters that aim to connect seniors is convincing evidence of social media use within this age group. In 2011, roughly 16 million persons over 55 had Facebook profiles and were active Facebook users.
Despite the growing usage of the Web and online social media, people over 55 continue to be the most susceptible to online information security and privacy. The majority of elderly people use the Internet less often than younger users and are less informed about online fraud (“grey digital divide”). Even though seniors 60 and over comprise just 15% of the population in the United States, they account for almost 30% of fraud victims, making them a special target for our study (1).
According to a recent FTC study based on complaints, scam artists are targeting older Americans more than ever before. According to the Wall Street Journal, 2011 set a new record for investment fraud targeting persons over 50 (1). Mobile and wearable sensors can supplement in-person consultations with healthcare professionals and are anticipated to lighten staff members’ workloads.
A recent qualitative study demonstrates that four factors—sleep hygiene, motivation, discretion, and accountability—are positively correlated with how activity monitors like Fitbits are evaluated (5). Other wearable technologies, such as continuous glucose monitors, have a lot of potential for giving users access to real-time data. With the proper training, these devices can also give users crucial information that will help them understand the relationships between particular behaviors (such as physical activity or food consumption) and short-term physiological health outcomes (such as in-range, low, or elevated glucose levels) (8). According to one expert, people have greater influence over how they approach their health objectives thanks to the knowledge gained from the data (5). Lastly, they are anticipated to increase productivity and efficiency in medical visits.
The findings from the articles under analysis demonstrate that all traits of interest have a comparable impact on a person’s decision to make them publicly visible on their Facebook page. It is valid for those above the age of 55 but less so for people under 55 (1). This comparison reveals that older persons, who could base their judgments on comparable sharing trends among peers, have unique characteristics (1).
The same cannot be inferred from findings on the population under 55. The promise of mobile and wearable technology still needs to be fully realized. User privacy is one of the topics that is commonly brought up. Information privacy, data sharing, autonomy, permission, ownership, data access, and data assessment are all covered under privacy problems. An individual’s health information, for instance, gathered, saved, or shared through a mobile application, may be in danger if the product is not adequately digitally protected or the business is the target of a hack. A “consent” approach to data management has been adopted by certain companies, providing the user more control over who has access to and how their data is used.
In a recent study, participants rated activity trackers, CGMs, and smartphone applications and responded that they had few privacy worries. The study also included a single-item question on privacy issues. Additionally, a similar area of research in its early stages looks into individualized messages and feedback. Healthcare professionals and academics can build health interventions by identifying population-specific reluctances or worries (1).
Messages on illness treatment for patient groups will likely differ from disease prevention and health promotion initiatives for non-patient populations. Various groups (such as those with and without a cancer diagnosis) may have distinct demands and health issues. As a result, their views and uses of mobile and wearable device sensors may vary (2).
For instance, chemotherapy treatments have different short- and long-term effects on cancer survivors than on non-cancer patients, and radiation therapy increases their chance of developing heart disease. Compared to the general population, cancer patients may require more supportive treatment, such as emotional and psychological assistance, due to these unique health issues. One way to help this demographic is through mobile and portable gadgets.
Conclusion
In conclusion, based on the viewpoints of the patient, privacy issues regarding mobile and wearable device technology treatments for enhancing physical activity health outcomes are modest and, for some, nonexistent. Thus, perceived sensitivity and seriousness of data concerns were low. The one exception to the general absence of privacy concerns for both cancer survivors and non-patient populations concerned insurance firms, particularly about insurance premiums. As a result, despite apparent obstacles to data exchange, the advantages typically exceed the drawbacks. Despite the growing usage of the Web and online social media, people over 55 continue to be the most susceptible to online information security and privacy.
References
- R. Chakraborty, C. Vishik, and H. R. Rao, “Privacy-preserving actions of older adults on social media: Exploring the behavior of opting out of information sharing,” Decision Support Systems, vol. 55, no. 4, pp. 948–956, Web.
- H. Shuijing and J. Tao, “An Empirical Study on Digital Privacy Risk of Senior Citizens,” IEEE Xplore, 2017. Web.
- J. Tao and H. Shuijing, “The Elderly and the Big Data: How Older Adults Deal with Digital Privacy,” 2016 International Conference on Intelligent Transportation, Big Data & Smart City (ICITBS), 2016, Web.
- J. Pool, S. Akhlaghpour, F. Fatehi, and L. C. Gray, “Data privacy concerns and use of telehealth in the aged care context: An integrative review and research agenda,” International Journal of Medical Informatics, vol. 160, p. 104707, 2022, Web.
- G. E. Brannon, S. Mitchell, and Y. Liao, “Addressing privacy concerns for mobile and wearable device sensors: Small-group interviews with healthy adults and cancer survivors,” PEC Innovation, vol. 1, p. 100022, 2022, Web.
- D. Reinhardt, M. Khurana, and L. Hernández Acosta, “‘I still need my privacy’: Exploring the level of comfort and privacy preferences of German-speaking older adults in the case of mobile assistant robots,” Pervasive and Mobile Computing, vol. 74, p. 101397, 2021, Web.
- T. L. Mitzner et al., “Older adults talk technology: Technology usage and attitudes,” Computers in Human Behavior, vol. 26, no. 6, pp. 1710–1721, 2010, Web.
- S. Murthy, Karthik Subramanya Bhat, S. Das, and N. Kumar, “Individually Vulnerable, Collectively Safe,” Proceedings of the ACM on human-computer interaction, vol. 5, no. CSCW1, pp. 1–24, 2021, Web.