Do you know Big Brother is watching you on Facebook? A study of the level of awareness of privacy and security issues among a selected sample of Facebook users in Mauritius

Facebook has become the most powerful online social network in recent years. The billions of users appreciate the ease of use and the various applications of the network. It is so pervasive in people´s personal life that it is difficult to imagine life without Facebook. However, there have been a number of concerns with regards to privacy and security. The present study investigates the current use of Facebook in Mauritius and assesses the level of awareness of privacy and security among a selected sample of users. Data shows that literature is scarce in Mauritius though the island aspires to be the Cyber Island of the Indian Ocean. Thus, a large-scale study on the use of Facebook in Mauritius is required. A comprehensive questionnaire was designed to gauge the perception and to investigate privacy and security concerns. Results demonstrate that users in Mauritius blindly trust the network but are relatively concerned about the usage of their personal information. It is also a matter of serious concern that users have limited knowledge of the provisions of the Computer Misuse and Cybercrime Act (2003) which is one of the harshest in the world when it comes to misuse of computers. The paper proposes a number of recommendations which need to be applied urgently by online social networks and other stakeholders and the need for an explicit informed consent from users each time personal data is used.