Users’ Perspective on Regulation to Protect Privacy on the Web

Abstract

This research employed Q methodology to examine how much privacy the public wants and what regulation it wants to impose on on-line companies. Respondents were 23 adults who sorted 40 Q-sample statements. Results revealed three factors or types: “absolute privacy advocates”, “consumer first advocates” and “objective privacy advocates”. The three types shared some viewpoints: All strongly agreed that consumers deserve notice and choice when a company uses personal information on themselves, even after they provide personal information for the company. Beyond this overlap, they had their own traits. Absolute privacy advocates believed in absolute privacy protection. They also understood power of on-line technology and were suspicious of companies selling data without considering consumer's benefits, but still did not want to regulate the private sector. Consumer first advocates were interested in consumer protection of privacy while ignoring companies' need to collect data on consumers. Objective privacy advocates wanted to restrict a company in its use of personal data while acknowledging the company's need to collect personal data. Who should be an on-line privacy regulator didn't seem to be a salient issue to the adult groups yet. Direct government intervention or legislation as a privacy protection method did not register strongly with the three groups. Ages and occupations seemed to be no type determiner. But when it comes to on-line purchasing experience, consumer first advocates and objective privacy advocates seemed to do more on-line shopping than absolute privacy advocates.