Security and privacy challenges with shared digital identity and devices in urban northern territory Indigenous communities

Australian Indigenous communities operate in a strong culture that values community, country and spirituality. Sharing devices and identity among kin is common and linked to demand sharing practices. Sharing devices and identity lead to security (safeguarding of data) and privacy (safeguarding of user identity) related problems. This includes illicit use of banking, social media accounts, and government e-services. The NT government cyber strategy draws from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) framework.
The study will explore the effectiveness of the framework in the urban Northern Territory (NT) Indigenous communities’ culture where identity and devices are shared. This study will adopt an Indigenous methodology that puts the Indigenous perspective at the center of the study, hence, the research will use ‘yarning’ to facilitate in-depth discussions in a relaxed and open manner. This study will use NT government Centrelink online services as a case study.
The research findings are expected to assist the NT government’s objectives defending against cyber-attacks and guide to cyber safety response. Expected outcomes of the thesis include a new framework and technologies for cybersecurity training targeted at Indigenous communities. This should provide significant benefits through deeper understanding of the sharing devices and identity impact of new cyber-technologies and training solutions.