An Onto-Epistemological Analysis of Information Privacy Research

Abstract

Privacy is one of the most pressing concerns in the continuously evolving landscape of information technology. Despite decades of vigorous and multifaceted exploration in the interdisciplinary field of information privacy, a consensual or unifying theory remains elusive. Moreover, the complexities of issues surrounding privacy are frequently labeled as “too big to understand” in the public press. At this critical juncture, it is beneficial to delve deeper into the foundational assumptions that privacy scholars have about privacy phenomena. In this commentary, we offer a fresh perspective by drawing on Dreyfus’ influential exegesis of the Heideggerian onto-epistemological framework to reflect on these assumptions. The perspective we offer yields three integrative recommendations for future privacy research to open to new research directions. We illustrate how these new directions could not only grow future privacy research but also facilitate the design of more effective privacy-protection measures in practice.