From August 27th to 30th, the University of Porto hosted the 16th European Sociological Association Conference, themed Tension, Trust, and Transformation. The conference aimed to explore recent experiences related to crises and global challenges. Key topics for discussion and analysis included the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change debates and activism, and issues of inequality and violence.
The conference sought to empower sociological work, enhancing its capacity to drive transformative societal impact across various social spheres.
PhD Annalisa Plava’s speech
One of the presentations in the Digital Risks session was given by Annalisa Plava, PhD Fellow of the EITHOS Project. She presented a paper on behalf of Veronica and Antonio titled Understanding or Underestimating the Risk? Stigma, Perception, and Fear of Online Identity Theft in Expert Users. Her presentation began by reflecting on the ease with which personal data can be stolen and emphasized the extent to which users share their information daily. These are risks that we assume in a way that is not always conscious. Very little is known about the profile, needs and experiences of people whose identity information has been compromised or misused.
These considerations prompted her to present the EITHOS Project to the entire community at the European Sociological Association Conference.
Annalisa Plava then presented the findings of an empirical study conducted by the University of Bologna, which revealed that expert users are not immune to online identity theft. These users often underestimate digital risks and become targets of online threats. Despite this, many are reluctant to report incidents due to fears of stigma and secondary victimization.