E-waste information security protection motivation: the role of optimism bias

Abstract

Purpose: Electronic waste (e-waste) such as discarded computers and smartphones may contain large amounts of confidential data. Improper handling of remaining information in e-waste can, therefore, drive information security risk. This risk, however, is not always properly assessed and managed. The authors take the protection motivation theory (PMT) lens of analysis to understand intentions to protect one's discarded electronic assets. Design/methodology/approach: By applying structural equation modeling, the authors empirically tested the proposed model with survey data from 348 e-waste handling users. Findings: Results highlight that (1) protection intention is influenced by the perceived ..