Digital sanctuary: exploring security and privacy concerns of congregants in the virtual church

Abstract

As contemporary churches continue to hire media teams to create and disseminate growing amounts of online content, questions of safety, security, and privacy are warranted. This study focuses on the case of a church in Ghana and explores the complex interplay between, ethical, security, and privacy issues in the online church. Data collection involved 170 survey respondents and eight (8) interview participants. The study found that convenience, flexibility, and device accessibility drove congregants’ reliance on the digital platforms of the church. However, there were discernible privacy and safety concerns like invasion of privacy, unauthorized access to personal information, potential for identity theft, and misuse of personal data for targeted advertising. While diverse perspectives were held by members of the media department of the church, there was a general lack of concern about the safety and security ramifications of disclosing personal sensitive information to audiences outside of the physical church as it was viewed as a potential point of inspiration for others. We recommend that churches develop guidelines around concerns raised by congregants to optimize congregants’ online security and safety, while also providing continuous awareness programs for congregants to protect their security and safety and be ethical users of digital platforms.