The Relationship between Knowledge Awareness about Qatari Cybersecurity Law, Victimization, and Perpetration Experience: Some Applications of Routine Activities Theory

Abstract

The study examines the relationship between knowledge awareness about Qatari cybersecurity law (QCL), victimization, and perpetration experience. The study describes and tests the differences in exposure to perpetration and victimization in terms of victimization and perpetration experience, knowledge about QCL, and attitudes towards QCL. The study sample consisted of 209 Qatari students, representing three Qatari universities. Of these, 163 (78%) were males, and 46 (22%) were females. Students (23%) reported being victims of cybercrimes, and 6% were perpetrators. The students spent an average of 4 hours on the internet, with a standard deviation of 5.3. The study used a survey as a research instrument. The questionnaire included knowledge about the QCL scale (9 items with reliability Cronbach's alpha =.79), perpetration experience (8 items with reliability Cronbach's alpha =.86), victimization experience (8 items with reliability Cronbach's alpha =.83), and an attitude scale (29 items with reliability Cronbach's alpha =.96). All scales are based on a literature review. We categorized all scales into interval levels 0–5, with 0 to 5 being the most frequently used. The findings showed that students' knowledge of GCL was below average, with the highest percentage of students learning about the QCL (66.5%), hearing about a cybercrime conviction (56%), and witnessing behaviors in cyberspace that required punishment (48.8%). 8.8%). Students experienced online banking fraud as the most common crime, accounting for 28%, followed by denial of service (DOS) at 17% and identity theft at 15%. A small percent of students reported committing cybercrimes, mostly digital piracy (15%) and online banking fraud (10.5%). Significant differences attributed to perpetration exposure (yes-no answer) were found in victimization experience (F = 26.470, α =.000), perpetration experience (F = 40.082, α =.000), and knowledge about QCL (F = 7.451, α =.007). Finally, ANOVA results showed that perpetrator experience (F = 13.355, ± =.000), victimization experience (F = 28.032, ± =.000), and knowledge about QCL (F = 7.804, ± =.006) were all different when the answer was "yes" or "no.". We discussed some applications of Routine Activities Theory (RAT).