Privacy Beliefs Research Articles

Swaying Individuals’ Privacy Concerns via Amplifying versus Diminishing Counter Argument

Background: Though limited, research has found that individuals' privacy concerns could be swayed by counter argument. This study investigated the swaying influence of amplifying vs. diminishing argument (i.e., counter argument seeking to increase or decrease privacy concerns) on individuals’ privacy concerns and the moderating influences of level of sensitivity and privacy-related knowledge. Method: Data was collected using online survey and respondents were college students enrolled in a Midwestern university. 215 students participated in the survey, resulting in 180 completed responses; two factors (survey competition time and response consistency for reversely-coded items) were used to screen response quality and 90 responses were kept. Data was analyzed using univariate analysis. Results: Results suggest that the swaying influence of counter argument depends on the level of sensitivity—the swaying influence is greater when individuals are presented with amplifying (diminishing) argument for a highly (less) sensitive issue/scenario. In addition, although the swaying influence is smaller for those with high privacy knowledge in general, it is not necessarily easier to sway those with low privacy knowledge. Instead, those with low privacy knowledge are more likely to get stuck or trapped in their existing privacy beliefs when facing privacy argument inconsistent with their existing beliefs, and are more likely to be provoked or stirred up when facing argument reinforcing their existing beliefs. Conclusion: Findings suggest that when processing privacy argument, individuals show confirmation bias and tend to “go with their initial assessments”. This is especially true for those with low privacy knowledge. When facing privacy related argument, individuals with low privacy knowledge behave the opposite of how magnets work—while magnets’ opposite poles attract each other and similar poles repel, individuals with low privacy knowledge embrace argument consistent with their existing beliefs and repel/reject argument inconsistent with their existing beliefs.

Facial Recognition Technology in Policing: A National Survey of Public Support for This Technology and Privacy/Safety Concerns

Using a national sample of U.S. adults, this study examines the level of public support for facial recognition technology (FRT) and its correlates across different policing activities. Multivariate analyses are conducted to assess how public support for FRT usage is influenced by individuals’ perceptions of its effectiveness in enhancing public safety, privacy concerns about its usage, and other attitudes (e.g., trust in police, worry about crime victimization). Both public safety and privacy beliefs are found to influence support for FRT usage, but the effects of privacy concerns also vary across different policing contexts (e.g., high-profile policing situations, “order-maintenance” policing) and the level of trust in police. These results are discussed in terms of their implications for future research and public policy on FRT usage.

Employees’ privacy perceptions: exploring the dimensionality and antecedents of personal data sensitivity and willingness to disclose

AbstractThe processing of employees’ personal data is dramatically increasing, yet there is a lack of tools that allow employees to manage their privacy. In order to develop these tools, one needs to understand what sensitive personal data are and what factors influence employees’ willingness to disclose. Current privacy research, however, lacks such insights, as it has focused on other contexts in recent decades. To fill this research gap, we conducted a cross-sectional survey with 553 employees from Germany. Our survey provides multiple insights into the relationships between perceived data sensitivity and willingness to disclose in the employment context. Among other things, we show that the perceived sensitivity of certain types of data differs substantially from existing studies in other contexts. Moreover, currently used legal and contextual distinctions between different types of data do not accurately reflect the subtleties of employees’ perceptions. Instead, using 62 different data elements, we identified four groups of personal data that better reflect the multi-dimensionality of perceptions. However, previously found common disclosure antecedents in the context of online privacy do not seem to affect them. We further identified three groups of employees that differ in their perceived data sensitivity and willingness to disclose, but neither in their privacy beliefs nor in their demographics. Our findings thus provide employers, policy makers, and researchers with a better understanding of employees’ privacy perceptions and serve as a basis for future targeted research on specific types of personal data and employees.

Risks, benefits, and control of information: Two studies of smart electric meter privacy

AbstractSmart electric meters collect data on electricity use to potentially improve efficiency for utilities, shape power consumption, and ultimately reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Consumer groups and experts have raised concerns about privacy, as smart meters can provide detailed information about activity within the home. This study examines privacy beliefs of U.S. consumers using qualitative data from focus groups together with experimental data from a national online survey of utility customers. Exploratory analysis of focus group findings suggested that consumers who felt in control of their data perceived fewer risks and more benefits from having access to the data. Participants in the online experiment saw greater risk and less benefit when advised that smart meters could be used to raise prices under time‐of‐use pricing. Participants also saw greater risk when the utility shared customer data with a third party. Risks and benefits influenced perceptions of control. These findings accord with several information privacy frameworks adding new insights about consumers' perceived control over their energy data. The findings can inform utility companies and policymakers with respect to giving consumers more control over their data, reducing consumers' privacy concerns, communicating benefits of smart meter data, and providing accurate information about the risks.

Attitudes towards Data Linkage for Evidence-Based Policymaking

Abstract In a recent report, the Commission for Evidence-Based Policymaking advocated for expanded use of data, including data linkage, from federal statistical and regulatory agencies to help guide decision-making and ultimately improve programs and policies. How data sharing and linkage is framed is important, and attitudes about data sharing and linkage are driven by respondents’ privacy beliefs and views towards the government more generally. Using data from the RDD telephone Gallup Daily Tracking Survey, we examine how favorability towards data sharing for the purpose of informed decision-making compares to other purposes. Respondents were less favorable towards data sharing when the purpose was for informed decision-making than for efficient use of taxpayer money, government accountability, or for community benefits, suggesting this is an ineffective way to frame data sharing to increase support. However, views towards the government, beliefs about privacy, and response behavior are still important determinants of favorability.

Sharing and storage behavior via cloud computing: Security and privacy in research and practice

Cloud computing services (CCS) has altered information sharing and storage behavior. This study investigates this behavior and explores the paradox between industry reports and the academic CCS adoption literature. The majority of the academic literature shows that security and privacy beliefs are the major hindrances to wide adoption of CCS whilst multiple recent industrial reports state that security and privacy issues are no longer impediments to the use of CCS. The extensive sharing and storage of personal information among CCS regardless of any security and privacy concerns allows us to speculate about this paradox and provided insight for developing a cloud computing usage model. The posited model explores the influence of CCS main hindrances; that is, perceived security and perceived privacy, compared to the main determinants of technology adoption. The data was collected from 129 working professionals using a survey-based methodology. Contrary to the academic literature, the obtained results confirmed the hypotheses that cloud security and privacy concerns are not significant influences on information sharing and storage behavior. Peers influence was found a significant determinant of the behavior. The study contributes to the information systems and cloud computing literature and supports that the technology is perceived as able to protect user information. The analysis of the developed model provides multiple implications for researchers in academia and industry.

Managing the virtual boundaries: Online social networks, disclosure, and privacy behaviors

Online social networks are designed to encourage disclosure while also having the ability to disrupt existing privacy boundaries. This study assesses those individuals who are the most active online: “Digital Natives.” The specific focus includes participants’ privacy beliefs; how valuable they believe their personal, private information to be; and what risks they perceive in terms of disclosing this information in a fairly anonymous online setting. A model incorporating these concepts was tested in the context of communication privacy management theory. Study findings suggest that attitudinal measures were stronger predictors of privacy behaviors than were social locators. In particular, support was found for a model positing that if an individual placed a higher premium on their personal, private information, they would then be less inclined to disclose such information while visiting online social networking sites.

Why experience matters to privacy: How context‐based experience moderates consumer privacy expectations for mobile applications

Two dominant theoretical models for privacy—individual privacy preferences and context‐dependent definitions of privacy—are often studied separately in information systems research. This paper unites these theories by examining how individual privacy preferences impact context‐dependent privacy expectations. The paper theorizes that experience provides a bridge between individuals' general privacy attitudes and nuanced contextual factors. This leads to the hypothesis that, when making judgments about privacy expectations, individuals with less experience in a context rely more on individual preferences such as their generalized privacy beliefs, whereas individuals with more experience in a context are influenced by contextual factors and norms. To test this hypothesis, 1,925 American users of mobile applications made judgments about whether varied real‐world scenarios involving data collection and use met their privacy expectations. Analysis of the data suggests that experience using mobile applications did moderate the effect of individual preferences and contextual factors on privacy judgments. Experience changed the equation respondents used to assess whether data collection and use scenarios met their privacy expectations. Discovering the bridge between 2 dominant theoretical models enables future privacy research to consider both personal and contextual variables by taking differences in experience into account.

A multi-level model of individual information privacy beliefs

Several types of individual information privacy beliefs have been studied in literature, but their distinctions, relationships, and behavioral impacts have yet been systematically analyzed, causing difficulties in comparing and consolidating results across literature. Based on a review on various types of privacy beliefs, this study develops a multi-level model to strengthen this concept. The model consists of three levels of privacy beliefs, including: disposition to privacy, representing a person’s fundamental beliefs and overall propensity to value privacy across contexts; online privacy concern, representing a person’s overall perception of privacy risks in the online environment; and website privacy concern, representing a person’s perception of privacy risks on a particular website. An empirical test reveals that disposition to privacy has a positive impact on both online privacy concern and website privacy concern, and website privacy concern is the only significant predictor of intentions to disclose information and transact on a website. The study helps to synthesize individual information privacy beliefs and assists in understanding their impacts on online behavior.

The influence of user affect in online information disclosure

Personal consumer data is the fuel for information driven programs that may differentiate a firm from its competitors and create strategic advantages. However, a tension exists between the user’s desire to protect personal information and the needs of online businesses for consumer data that drive customer relationship and business intelligence applications. This study explores the roles of positive and negative affect on users’ trust and privacy beliefs that relate to the online disclosure of personal information. A model is tested using the responses of 301 Internet users who visited one of two commercial websites. The results indicate that positive affect has a significant effect on users’ website trust and privacy beliefs that motivate online information disclosure and this effect is more pronounced for users with high Internet security concerns. The idea that positive mood-inducing website features can motivate user behavior has the potential to guide the development of websites for effective information disclosure and data collection.

Narrative Persuasion, Transportation, and the Role of Need for Cognition in Online Viewing of Fantastical Films

Two studies examine narrative persuasion in the context of fantastical narratives viewed on a computer. In Study 1, participants (N = 160) used a personal computer to watch one of two short films that dealt with a contemporary social issue (privacy or the environment) set in an imaginary future. Neither film resulted in those who viewed it holding stronger story-consistent beliefs. However, viewers of the film about privacy who experienced higher levels of transportation were more likely to possess story-consistent privacy beliefs than those less transported or than viewers of the environmental film. Additionally, higher need for cognition was associated with stronger beliefs and intentions across both films, and viewers of the privacy film who were higher in need for cognition were most likely to endorse story-consistent privacy beliefs, perhaps due to extra cognitive effort demanded by the online delivery mode of the narrative. To explore this, in Study 2 (N = 126), participants were shown the privacy-themed film in either a low or high distraction condition. This successfully manipulated transportation, but in high distraction conditions, transportation was not significantly related to endorsement of story-consistent beliefs.

The role of affect and cognition on online consumers' decision to disclose personal information to unfamiliar online vendors

Based on the privacy calculus framework and the stimulus–organism–response (S–O–R) model, this study examines online information disclosure decision as a result of affective and cognitive reactions of online consumers over several stages, i.e. an initial stage where an overall impression is formed about an unfamiliar online vendor, and a subsequent information exchange stage where information necessary to complete the ecommerce transaction will be provided to the online vendor. We found that, initial emotions formed from an overall impression of a Web site act as initial hurdles to information disclosure. Once online consumers enter the information exchange stage, fairness-based levers further adjust privacy beliefs.

Understanding Situational Online Information Disclosure as a Privacy Calculus

The effect of situational factors is largely ignored by current studies on information privacy. This paper theorized and empirically tested how an individual's decision-making on information disclosure is driven by competing situational benefits and risk factors. The results of this study indicate that, in the context of an e-commerce transaction with an unfamiliar vendor, information disclosure is the result of competing influences of exchange benefits and two types of privacy beliefs (privacy protection belief and privacy risk belief). In addition, the effect of monetary rewards is dependent upon the fairness of information exchange. Monetary rewards could undermine information disclosure when information collected has low relevance to the purpose of the e-commerce transaction.

Gender Differences in Privacy-Related Measures for Young Adult Facebook Users

ABSTRACTThis study examines gender differences in young adults’ privacy beliefs, their reactions to behavioral advertising, personal information-sharing behaviors, and privacy protection behaviors on social networks. This investigation uses a large-scale survey of college students based on a social networked sampling technique facilitated through a Facebook group. Results reveal several gender differences in these areas. Third-party data usage beyond the original purpose and behavioral advertising techniques are of concern to both genders but more to women. In addition, women engage in noticeably more proactive privacy protection behavior compared with a decade ago. The authors conclude with a discussion of implications for behavioral advertising.

Consumer Responses to the Introduction of Privacy Protection Measures

Information privacy is at the center of discussion and controversy among multiple stakeholders including business leaders, privacy activists, and government regulators. However, conceptualizations of information privacy have been somewhat patchy in current privacy literature. In this article, we review the conceptualizations of information privacy through three different lenses (information exchange, social contract and information control), and then try to build upon previous literature from multiple theoretical lenses to create a common understanding of the organization-consumer information interaction in the context of Business-to-Consumer electronic commerce (B2C e-commence). We argue that consumers’ privacy beliefs are influenced by the situational and environmental cues that signal the level of privacy protections in a particular environment. The framework developed in this research should be of interest to academic researchers, e-commerce vendors, legislators, industry self-regulators, and designers of privacy enhancing technologies.

Privacy and Technology: Folk Definitions and Perspectives.

In this paper we present preliminary results from a study of individual differences in privacy beliefs, as well as relate folk definitions of privacy to extant privacy theory. Focus groups were conducted with young adults aged 18-28 and older adults aged 65-75. Participants first shared their individual definitions of privacy, followed by a discussion of privacy in six scenarios chosen to represent a range of potentially invasive situations. Taken together, Westin's and Altman's theories of privacy accounted for both younger and older adults' ideas about privacy, however, neither theory successfully accounted for findings across all age and gender groups. Whereas males tended to think of privacy in terms of personal needs and convenience, females focused more on privacy in terms of others, respecting privacy rights, and safety. Older adults tended to be more concerned about privacy of space rather than information privacy. Initial results reinforce the notion that targeting HCI design to the user population, even with respect to privacy, is critically important.

Privacy beliefs and the violent family

Privacy beliefs and the violent family

Privacy Beliefs and the Violent Family

To the Editor. —I applaud the publication of the article by Dr Jecker entitled Privacy Beliefs and the Violent Family. 1 In 15 years of clinical and academic medicine, I have been frequently frustrated with the inadequacy of ethical discussions as they apply to privacy concepts and significant, expensive health problems, such as family violence and substance abuse, that I commonly detect in primary care. I am also aware that I am not detecting these problems as often as possible owing to the habits and inhibitions of my socialization and medical training. I find the application of the concept of justice to the ethical analysis of the physician's role to be entirely appropriate. In support of the call in Dr Jecker's last sentence for questioning the assumptions underpinning ethical analysis, I would like to suggest additional concepts that may be pertinent to family violence and other health problems in which

Privacy Beliefs and the Violent Family

Privacy beliefs associated with the family impede physicians' response to domestic violence. As a private sphere, the family is regarded as sacred, separate, and hidden from public view. Hence, physicians who look for or uncover violence in the family risk defilling a sacred object and violating norms of non-interference. Privacy beliefs also obfuscate the ethical analysis of physicians' duties to intercede on behalf of battered patients. Ethical principles of beneficence and nonmaleficence have been invoked to justify physicians' duties to abused patients; however, the principle of justice has not been invoked. Ethical analysis of physicians' duties in this area must be broadened to include the principle of justice. Justice is at stake because establishing conditions favorable to self-respect is a requirement of justice, and the response physicians make to battered patients carries important ramifications for supporting patients' self-respect and dignity. If justice forms part of the ethical foundation for physician intervention in domestic violence, mandatory steps that do not transgress the confidentiality of the physician-patient relationship or infringe the patient's autonomy should be taken, such as requiring domestic violence training in medical education and following treatment plans and protocols to identify abuse and provide assistance to battered patients.

Privacy beliefs and the violent family. Extending the ethical argument for physician intervention

Privacy beliefs and the violent family. Extending the ethical argument for physician intervention