Using Anonymous Discussion Platforms to Support Open Conversations about Cybersecurity in Organisations

Eve Jenkins; Dinislam Abdulgalimov; Pam Briggs; Patrick Olivier; James Nicholson

doi:10.1145/3706598.3713290

Using Anonymous Discussion Platforms to Support Open Conversations about Cybersecurity in Organisations

Eve Jenkins, Dinislam Abdulgalimov, Pam Briggs, Patrick Olivier, James Nicholson^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution › peer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)

16 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

People-centred security is critical for the security of an organisation, but we know that it comes at a cost. Recently the academic literature base has started to focus on how security might be understood and promoted as a facet of the overall culture of an organisation. This work sets out to understand the experiences of employees and management when using an anonymous online discussion platform to discuss cybersecurity policies. Following a 2-week deployment in a large UK educational institution, we found that anonymity helped individuals share their experiences, and that these experiences helped others understand more about the rationale for security policies. However, we also found that anonymity negatively impacted on individuals’ ability to discuss specific problems and follow up on incidents. We discuss the opportunities and challenges of using anonymous discussion platforms in organisations for improving the security culture through social participation and a more transparent listening culture.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	CHI '25: Proceedings of the 2025 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
Editors	Naomi Yamashita, Vanessa Evers, Koji Yatani, Xianghua Ding, Bongshin Lee, Marshini Chetty, Phoebe Toups-Dugas
Place of Publication	New York, USA
Publisher	ACM
Pages	1-14
Number of pages	14
ISBN (Electronic)	9798400713941
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1145/3706598.3713290
Publication status	Published - 25 Apr 2025
Event	CHI 2025 Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems - PACIFICO Yokohama, Yokohama, Japan Duration: 26 Apr 2025 → 1 May 2025 https://chi2025.acm.org/

Conference

Conference	CHI 2025 Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
Abbreviated title	CHI 2025
Country/Territory	Japan
City	Yokohama
Period	26/04/25 → 1/05/25
Internet address	https://chi2025.acm.org/

Keywords

organisational security culture
employee voice
anonymity
security policies

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10.1145/3706598.3713290

CHI25-AnonSec.CRAccepted author manuscript, 437 KB

Cite this

Jenkins, E., Abdulgalimov, D., Briggs, P., Olivier, P., & Nicholson, J. (2025). Using Anonymous Discussion Platforms to Support Open Conversations about Cybersecurity in Organisations. In N. Yamashita, V. Evers, K. Yatani, X. Ding, B. Lee, M. Chetty, & P. Toups-Dugas (Eds.), CHI '25: Proceedings of the 2025 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (pp. 1-14). Article 924 ACM. https://doi.org/10.1145/3706598.3713290

Jenkins, Eve ; Abdulgalimov, Dinislam ; Briggs, Pam et al. / Using Anonymous Discussion Platforms to Support Open Conversations about Cybersecurity in Organisations. CHI '25: Proceedings of the 2025 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. editor / Naomi Yamashita ; Vanessa Evers ; Koji Yatani ; Xianghua Ding ; Bongshin Lee ; Marshini Chetty ; Phoebe Toups-Dugas. New York, USA : ACM, 2025. pp. 1-14

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abstract = "People-centred security is critical for the security of an organisation, but we know that it comes at a cost. Recently the academic literature base has started to focus on how security might be understood and promoted as a facet of the overall culture of an organisation. This work sets out to understand the experiences of employees and management when using an anonymous online discussion platform to discuss cybersecurity policies. Following a 2-week deployment in a large UK educational institution, we found that anonymity helped individuals share their experiences, and that these experiences helped others understand more about the rationale for security policies. However, we also found that anonymity negatively impacted on individuals{\textquoteright} ability to discuss specific problems and follow up on incidents. We discuss the opportunities and challenges of using anonymous discussion platforms in organisations for improving the security culture through social participation and a more transparent listening culture.",

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Jenkins, E, Abdulgalimov, D, Briggs, P, Olivier, P & Nicholson, J 2025, Using Anonymous Discussion Platforms to Support Open Conversations about Cybersecurity in Organisations. in N Yamashita, V Evers, K Yatani, X Ding, B Lee, M Chetty & P Toups-Dugas (eds), CHI '25: Proceedings of the 2025 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems., 924, ACM, New York, USA, pp. 1-14, CHI 2025 Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems , Yokohama, Japan, 26/04/25. https://doi.org/10.1145/3706598.3713290

Using Anonymous Discussion Platforms to Support Open Conversations about Cybersecurity in Organisations. / Jenkins, Eve; Abdulgalimov, Dinislam; Briggs, Pam et al.
CHI '25: Proceedings of the 2025 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. ed. / Naomi Yamashita; Vanessa Evers; Koji Yatani; Xianghua Ding; Bongshin Lee; Marshini Chetty; Phoebe Toups-Dugas. New York, USA: ACM, 2025. p. 1-14 924.

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution › peer-review

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AU - Briggs, Pam

AU - Olivier, Patrick

AU - Nicholson, James

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N2 - People-centred security is critical for the security of an organisation, but we know that it comes at a cost. Recently the academic literature base has started to focus on how security might be understood and promoted as a facet of the overall culture of an organisation. This work sets out to understand the experiences of employees and management when using an anonymous online discussion platform to discuss cybersecurity policies. Following a 2-week deployment in a large UK educational institution, we found that anonymity helped individuals share their experiences, and that these experiences helped others understand more about the rationale for security policies. However, we also found that anonymity negatively impacted on individuals’ ability to discuss specific problems and follow up on incidents. We discuss the opportunities and challenges of using anonymous discussion platforms in organisations for improving the security culture through social participation and a more transparent listening culture.

AB - People-centred security is critical for the security of an organisation, but we know that it comes at a cost. Recently the academic literature base has started to focus on how security might be understood and promoted as a facet of the overall culture of an organisation. This work sets out to understand the experiences of employees and management when using an anonymous online discussion platform to discuss cybersecurity policies. Following a 2-week deployment in a large UK educational institution, we found that anonymity helped individuals share their experiences, and that these experiences helped others understand more about the rationale for security policies. However, we also found that anonymity negatively impacted on individuals’ ability to discuss specific problems and follow up on incidents. We discuss the opportunities and challenges of using anonymous discussion platforms in organisations for improving the security culture through social participation and a more transparent listening culture.

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A2 - Evers, Vanessa

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A2 - Ding, Xianghua

A2 - Lee, Bongshin

A2 - Chetty, Marshini

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PB - ACM

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Jenkins E, Abdulgalimov D, Briggs P, Olivier P, Nicholson J. Using Anonymous Discussion Platforms to Support Open Conversations about Cybersecurity in Organisations. In Yamashita N, Evers V, Yatani K, Ding X, Lee B, Chetty M, Toups-Dugas P, editors, CHI '25: Proceedings of the 2025 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. New York, USA: ACM. 2025. p. 1-14. 924 doi: 10.1145/3706598.3713290

Using Anonymous Discussion Platforms to Support Open Conversations about Cybersecurity in Organisations

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