To monitor or not to monitor: Effectiveness of a cyberloafing countermeasure

2015 | Information & Management | Citations: 23

Authors: Glassman, Jeremy; Prosch, Marilyn; Shao, Benjamin B. M.

Abstract: The goal of this study is to explore and analyze the effectiveness of a possible ... Expand

Abstract: The goal of this study is to explore and analyze the effectiveness of a possible countermeasure to the so-called “cyberloafing” problem involving a technical solution of Internet filtering and monitoring. Through a multi-theoretical lens, we utilize operant conditioning and individuals’ psychological morals of procedural justice and social norms to study the effectiveness of this countermeasure in addressing the associated agency problem and in promoting compliance with an organization's Internet usage policies. We find that in addition to the blocking module, confirmation and quota modules of an Internet filtering and monitoring system can prevent shirking and promote better compliance through employee empowerment and attention resource replenishment. Collapse

Topics: information system use internet technology database system social norm website

Methods: regression analysis method usage data statistical hypothesis test experiment descriptive statistic

Theories: operant learning theory procedural justice theory

A Hybrid Attribute Selection Approach for Text Classification

2010 | Journal of the Association for Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Chen-Huei Chou; Sinha, Atish P.; Huimin Zhao

Abstract: The application of text mining in organizations is growing. Text classification, ... Expand

Abstract: The application of text mining in organizations is growing. Text classification, an important type of text mining problem, is characterized by a large attribute space and entails an efficient and effective attribute selection procedure. There are two general attribute selection approaches: the filter approach and the wrapper approach. While the wrapper approach is potentially more effective in finding the best attribute subset, it is cost-prohibitive in most text classification applications. In this paper, we propose a hybrid attribute selection approach that is both efficient and effective for text classification problems. We apply the proposed approach to detect and prevent Internet abuse in the workplace, which is becoming a major problem in modern organizations. The empirical evaluations we conducted using a variety of classification algorithms, indexing schemes, and attribute selection methods demonstrate the utility of the proposed approach. We found that combining the filter and wrapper approaches not only boosts the accuracies of text classifiers but also brings down the computational costs significantly. Collapse

Topics: web page information retrieval IT security threat software developer internet technology

Methods: support vector machine decision tree classification classification method machine learning term frequency–inverse document frequency

Commercial Internet filters: Perils and opportunities

2010 | Decision Support Systems | Citations: 2

Authors: Chou, Chen-Huei; Sinha, Atish P.; Zhao, Huimin

Abstract: Organizations are becoming increasingly aware of Internet abuse in the workplace ... Expand

Abstract: Organizations are becoming increasingly aware of Internet abuse in the workplace. Such abuse results in loss of workers' productivity, network congestion, security risks, and legal liabilities. To address this problem, organizations have started to adopt Internet usage policies, management training, and filtering software. Several commercial Internet filters are experiencing an increasing number of organizational adoptions. These products mainly rely on black lists, white lists, and keyword/profile matching to filter out undesired web pages. In this paper, we describe three top-ranked commercial Internet filters – CYBERSitter, Net Nanny, and CyberPatrol – and evaluate their performance in the context of an Internet abuse problem. We then propose a text mining approach to address the problem and evaluate its performance using six different classification algorithms: naïve Bayes, multinominal naïve Bayes, support vector machine, decision tree, k-nearest neighbor, and neural network. The evaluation results point to the perils of using commercial Internet filters on one hand, and to the prospects of using text mining on the other. The proposed text mining approach outperforms the commercial filters. We discuss the possible reasons for the relatively poor performance of the filters and the steps that could be taken to improve their performance. Collapse

Topics: web page IT security threat internet filter internet technology software developer

Methods: natural language processing decision tree classification naïve bayes computational algorithm classification method

SpamHunting: An instance-based reasoning system for spam labelling and filtering

2007 | Decision Support Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Fdez-Riverola, F.; Iglesias, E. L.; Díaz, F.; Méndez, J. R.; Corchado, J. M.

Abstract: In this paper we show an instance-based reasoning e-mail filtering model that ou ... Expand

Abstract: In this paper we show an instance-based reasoning e-mail filtering model that outperforms classical machine learning techniques and other successful lazy learners approaches in the domain of anti-spam filtering. The architecture of the learning-based anti-spam filter is based on a tuneable enhanced instance retrieval network able to accurately generalize e-mail representations. The reuse of similar messages is carried out by a simple unanimous voting mechanism to determine whether the target case is spam or not. Previous to the final response of the system, the revision stage is only performed when the assigned class is spam whereby the system employs general knowledge in the form of meta-rules. Collapse

Topics: electronic mail email spam artificial intelligence internet filter Java

Methods: experiment support vector machine computational algorithm descriptive statistic machine learning

Theories: theory of case-based reasoning

Performance analysis of filtering software using Signal Detection Theory

2006 | Decision Support Systems | Citations: 1

Authors: Deshmukh, Ashutosh; Rajagopalan, Balaji

Abstract: Software filters are increasingly being touted as a solution to restrict access ... Expand

Abstract: Software filters are increasingly being touted as a solution to restrict access to inappropriate information in a variety of settings. Families want to protect young children from pornographic sites, corporations are searching for ways to minimize trivial use of the Internet by their employees, and non-profit organizations look to control information access to reflect the value system of their communities. Despite the exponential increase in software filter usage, its effectiveness is not clear. In addition, critics of the approach argue that mandated use of filtering software on public computers like libraries may result in denial of vital information to poorer sections of the society who do not have independent access to the Internet, thereby curbing intellectual freedom and creating inequity in access to information. The purpose of this study is to analytically evaluate the performance of software filters using the Signal Detection Theory (SDT) framework. Two types of software filters are modeled and analyzed—simple software filter (single method) and a sequence of software filters (multiple methods). Analysis shows the limited capability of both types of filters, with the multiple-method filter outperforming the simple filter. Results of this study caution proponent of filter-based solution to be realistic with expectations of the benefits of filtering based solutions. Implications of the findings for proper use and design of software filters are discussed. Collapse

Topics: website decision making internet filter web page

Methods: mixed method

Theories: signal detection theory

Responsible Risk Assessment with Software Development: Creating the Software Development Impact Statement

2005 | Communications of the Association for Information Systems | Citations: 2

Authors: Gotterbarn, Don; Rogerson, Simon

Abstract: This process was incorporated effectively into the software development life cyc ... Expand

Abstract: This process was incorporated effectively into the software development life cycle and applied to software development projects in different domains on several continents. The successes of the SoDIS process provide strong evidence that a significant side-effect of narrowing project objectives is a root cause of IT project failures. Collapse

Topics: systems development internet filter electronic voting IS failure computer system