Study Reveals Bias in Usable Privacy and Security Research

A recent study titled "How WEIRD is Usable Privacy and Security Research?" by Ayako A. Hasegawa, Daisuke Inoue, and Mitsuaki Akiyama, presented at the USENIX Security 2024 conference, reveals that research in human factors within the field of usable privacy and security (UPS) is heavily biased towards WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic) countries. This bias could limit the understanding of diverse populations and their cultural differences. The study shows that this trend is more pronounced in the UPS field than in human-computer interaction (HCI). Geographical and linguistic barriers in study methods and recruitment often lead researchers to conduct studies locally. Additionally, many papers do not report the demographic characteristics of participants, which could hinder the reproducibility of studies. To improve geographical diversity, the authors suggest facilitating replication studies, addressing geographical and linguistic issues in study/recruitment methods, and promoting research on topics relevant to non-WEIRD populations.