Online cheaters: Profiles and motivations of internet users who falsify their data online

The digital environment, which includes the Internet and social networks, is propitious for digital marketing. However, the collection, filtering and analysis of the enormous, constant flow of information on social networks is a major challenge for both academics and practitioners. The aim of this research is to assist the process of filtering the personal information provided by users when registering online, and to determine which user profiles lie the most, and why. This entailed conducting three different studies. Study 1 estimates the percentage of Spanish users by stated sex and generation who lie the most when registering their personal data by analysing a database of 5,534,702 participants in online sweepstakes and quizzes using a combination of error detection algorithms, and a test of differences in proportions to measure the profiles of the most fraudulent users. Estimates show that some user profiles are more inclined to make mistakes and others to forge data intentionally, the latter being the majority. The groups that are most likely to supply incorrect data are older men and younger women. Study 2 explores the main motivations for intentionally providing false information, and finds that the most common reasons are related to amusement, such as playing pranks, and lack of faith in the company's data privacy and security measures. These results will enable academics and companies to improve mechanisms to filter out cheaters and avoid including them in their databases. (c) 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Espana, S.L.U. on behalf of Journal of Innovation & Knowledge. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Automated summary

The digital environment, including the Internet and social networks, presents opportunities for digital marketing, but it also poses challenges for collecting and analyzing the vast amount of information on social networks. This research aims to improve the process of filtering personal information provided by users during online registration and identify profiles that are more likely to provide false information. The findings indicate that older men and younger women are more prone to providing incorrect or intentionally forged data. The main motivations for intentionally providing false information are amusement and lack of trust in data privacy and security measures.