Kirlappos, I;
Sasse, MA;
Harvey, N;
(2012)
Why trust seals don't work: a study of user perceptions and behavior.
In: Katzenbeisser, S and Weippl, E and Camp, LJ and Volkamer, M and Reiter, MK and Zhang, X, (eds.)
Trust and Trustworthy Computing - 5th International Conference, TRUST 2012, Vienna, Austria, June 13-15, 2012. Proceedings.
(308 - 324).
Springer
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Abstract
Trust seals, such as the VeriSign and TRUSTe logos, are widely used to indicate a website is reputable. But how much protection do they offer to online shoppers? We conducted a study in which 60 experienced online shop-pers rated 6 websites – with and without trust seals - based on how trustworthy they perceived them to be. Eye track-ing data reveals that 38% of participants failed to notice any of the trust seals present. When seals were noticed, the ratings assigned to each website were significantly higher than for the same website without a seal, but qualitative analysis of the interview data revealed significant misconceptions of their meaning (e.g. “presence of seals automati-cally legitimizes any website”). Participants tended to rely on self-developed – but inaccurate – heuristics for as-sessing trustworthiness (e.g. perceived investment in website development, or references to other recognizable enti-ties). We conclude that current trust seals currently do not offer effective protection against scam websites; and sug-gest that other mechanisms – such as automatic verification of authenticity are required to support consumers’ trust decisions.
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