On Trust in the Internet: Belief Cues from Domain Suffixes and Seals of Approval

Abstract

Beliefs about the validity and reliability of Internet web-site information is important to both the user and to the success of a site. The present study examined aspects of reported trust of the Internet. A total of 247 participants (171 undergraduate students & 76 non-students) were asked a series of questions. In general, participants reported trusting only 55% of the information they found on the Internet. Students and non-students differed in their trust of .gov and .edu domain suffixes as well as several seals of approval (e.g., Verisign, Trust-e). In addition, the ratings of several fictitious seals were judged as trustworthy at levels as high or higher than actual seals. Participants who use the Internet for more hours per week showed significantly more trust for some domain suffixes and seals of approval than those who use the Internet for fewer hours. A similar pattern was seen for both students and non-students. Implications for erroneous beliefs and use of information on the Internet are discussed.