Optional Data Disclosure and the Online Privacy Paradox: A UK Perspective

The privacy paradox states that people’s concerns about online privacy are unrelated to their online sharing of personal information. On the basis of a representative sample of the German population, which includes 1,403 respondents interviewed at three waves separated by 6 months, we investigate the privacy paradox from a longitudinal perspective. Using a cross-lagged panel model with random intercepts, we differentiate between-person relations from within-person effects. Results revealed that people who were more concerned about their online privacy than others also shared slightly less personal information and had substantially more negative attitudes toward information sharing (between-person level). People who were more concerned than usual also shared slightly less information than usual (within-person level). We found no long-term effects of privacy concerns on information sharing or attitudes 6 months later. The results provide further evidence against the privacy paradox, but more research is needed to better understand potential causal relations.

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Place Determinants for the Personalization-Privacy Tradeoff among Students

10.28945/4069 ◽

2018 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Keyword(s):

Privacy Protection ◽

Linear Regression Analysis ◽

Influential Factors ◽

Online Privacy ◽

Future Research ◽

Online Information ◽

Multivariate Linear Regression Analysis ◽

Privacy Concern ◽

Privacy Paradox ◽

The Web

Aim/Purpose: [This Proceedings paper was revised and published in the 2018 issue of the journal Issues in Informing Science and Information Technology, Volume 15] In this exploratory study we investigate the influential factors of users' decisions in the dilemma whether to agree to online personalization or to protect their online privacy. Background: Various factors related to online privacy and anonymity were considered, such as user's privacy concern on the Web in general and particularly on social networks, user online privacy literacy and field of study. Methodology: To this end, 155 students from different fields of study in the Israeli academia were administered closed-ended questionnaires. Contribution: The main conceptual contribution of this study was the creation of a new direct scale for assessing user decisions regarding the personalization-privacy tradeoff. Another contribution was the investigation of the predictive factors of the personalization-privacy tradeoff. While previous studies found that users seldom allow their privacy concerns to affect their online behavior, our results revealed the opposite, as the participants with a higher level of concern for online privacy tended to prefer privacy protection, at the expense online personalization. Findings: The multivariate linear regression analysis showed that as the participants' privacy concern increases, they tend to prefer privacy protection over online personalization. In addition, we found significant differences between men and women, as men tended to favor privacy protection more than women did. Recommendations for Practitioners: The new direct scale that was developed may be used by other practitioners to measure other issues relating to the privacy paradox behavior. Recommendation for Researchers: The questionnaire may be used by other researchers to examine online information behavior. Impact on Society: This research has social implications for the academia and general public as they show that by raising the concern for the protection of personal information on the Web, it is possible to influence the personalization-privacy tradeoff and encourage users to prefer privacy protection. Furthermore, the enhancement of users' preference for privacy protection over Web-surfing convenience may be used as a mean to mitigate the online privacy paradox behavior. Future Research: Since our results were based on students' self-perceptions, which might be biased, future work should apply qualitative analysis to explore additional types and influencing factors of online privacy behavior.

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Online Privacy Paradox and Social Networks

Encyclopedia of Social Network Analysis and Mining ◽

10.1007/978-1-4614-7163-9_204-1 ◽

2017 ◽

pp. 1-9

Author(s):

Sebastian Sevignani ◽

Verena Kreilinger

Keyword(s):

Social Networks ◽

Online Privacy ◽

Privacy Paradox

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The Privacy Mismatch: Evolved Intuitions in a Digital World

Current Directions in Psychological Science ◽

10.1177/0963721421990355 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 30 (2) ◽

pp. 159-166

Author(s):

Azim Shariff ◽

Joe Green ◽

William Jettinghoff

Keyword(s):

Data Privacy ◽

Online Privacy ◽

Privacy Threats ◽

Evolutionary Mismatch ◽

Digital World ◽

Privacy Paradox ◽

The One

Although people report grave concern over their data privacy, they take little care to protect it. We suggest that this privacy paradox can be understood in part as the consequence of an evolutionary mismatch: Privacy intuitions evolved in an environment that was radically different from the one found online. This evolved privacy psychology leaves people disconnected from the consequence of online privacy threats.

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A Longitudinal Analysis of the Privacy Paradox

10.31235/osf.io/fm4h7 ◽

2019 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Tobias Dienlin ◽

Philipp K. Masur ◽

Sabine Trepte

Keyword(s):

Information Sharing ◽

Personal Information ◽

Online Privacy ◽

German Population ◽

Long Term Effects ◽

Negative Attitudes ◽

Privacy Concerns ◽

Panel Model ◽

Privacy Paradox

The privacy paradox states that people’s concerns about online privacy are unrelated to their online sharing of personal information. On the basis of a representative sample of the German population, which includes 1403 respondents who were interviewed at three waves separated by 6 months, we investigate the privacy paradox from a longitudinal perspective. Using a cross-lagged panel model with random intercepts, we differentiate between-person relations from within-person effects. Results revealed that people who were more concerned about their online privacy than others also shared slightly less personal information and had substantially more negative attitudes toward information sharing (between-person level). People who were more concerned than usual also shared slightly less information than usual (within-person level). We found no long-term effects of privacy concerns on information sharing or attitudes 6 months later. The results provide further evidence against the privacy paradox, but more research is needed to better understand the variables’ potential causal relations.

Download Full-text