Privacy Policies Research Articles

Privacy Preferences of Consumer and Lender: A Case of Digital Credit Systems in India

Digital credit services are rapidly evolving in the Internet commerce environment. As such, this study aims to identify and prioritize the key factors influencing the views of digital credit users (DCU) and digital credit providers (DCP) on privacy practices. The study begins with a comprehensive literature review to identify an extensive set of factors and inputs from an expert panel. Next, the study applies the well-established “multi-criteria decision-making method,” which allows assigning weights to each of the four criteria and 13 sub-criterions to reveal DCU and DCP preferences for digital credit protection. Results indicated that the “Concerns about Personal Information” criteria are prioritized highly by DCU and DCP. This study marks the first attempt to reveal the preferences of DCU and DCP digital data privacy policies in a growing economy (India) and help policymakers and regulators align their digital privacy policies, enhancing the overall user experience.

Effects of the General Data Protection Law (LGPD) On For-Profit Organizations

Objective: The general objective of the study is to analyze which technical and administrative measures are necessary for accounting organizations to comply with the provisions of the LGPD, with this general objective being divided into three specific objectives: a) identify the technical and administrative measures relevant to the LGPD; b) establish privacy policies on the data made available and c) define the stages of technical and administrative measures so that organizations comply with the provisions of the Law. Theoretical Framework: This topic presents the main concepts and theories that underpin the research. The General Data Protection Law - LGPD (LAW 13.709/2018) stands out, providing a solid basis for understanding the context of the investigation. Method: The methodology adopted for this research is applied, descriptive, bibliographical and documentary, with a qualitative approach. The unit of analysis was 5 managers from 5 for-profit organizations located in the northwest region of RS during the month of May 2023. Data collection was carried out through bibliographic, documentary and interview research, using documentary and descriptive analysis techniques. Results and Discussion: The findings indicate that criteria adopted for the protection of people's data were defined for the companies surveyed, considering the administrative department of the companies, where data considered sensitive is handled, divided basically into three sectors: Accounting sector, Tax sector and Human Resources sector and Personnel Department. It was found that there is a need to implement technical and administrative measures in the processes and invest in training on the subject within the organizations, in order to avoid infractions and fines as punishment for non-compliance with the provisions of the General Data Protection Law. In the discussion section, these results are contextualized in light of the General Data Protection Law - LGPD (LAW 13.709/2018), highlighting the implications and relationships identified. Possible discrepancies and limitations of the study are also considered in this section. Research Implications: The practical and theoretical implications of this research are discussed, providing insights into how the results can be applied or influence practices in the field of the General Data Protection Law - LGPD. These implications may include the deepening of knowledge, as well as from a practical point of view, since it offers a concrete solution to a specific demand of the company investigated in this study. Originality/Value: This study contributes to the literature by discussing the topic General Data Protection Law - LGPD (LAW 13.709/2018. The relevance and value of this research are evidenced by providing guidance to organizations on how to prepare the Privacy Policy and Contingency Plan, with the purpose of adapting to the LGPD.

Bridging medical expertise in crisis: The development and implementation of a novel mobile application for Ukrainian physicians during wartime.

The full-scale invasion disrupted health care in Ukraine, leading to the displacement of physicians and affecting their access to subspecialist consultations. HealUA, a mobile application, was designed to provide secure and timely remote physician-to-physician consultations. We aimed to assess the implementation of the HealUA mobile application for peer-to-peer physician consultations in Ukraine during the Russian invasion. HealUA was developed in May 2022. Security measures included user verification, privacy policies, and legal disclaimers. The application allowed physicians to submit cases and receive remote consultations from physicians in Ukraine and worldwide. We assessed the implementation of the HealUA application using Proctor's implementation outcomes framework, specifically adoption and feasibility. Adoption was measured by user downloads, characteristics of registered physicians, and case submissions. Feasibility was evaluated through clinical case response times, translation services, and technical issues. From May 2022 to May 2024, 3861 physicians registered. The majority were from Ukraine (95%). Of 474 submitted cases, 97.3% received timely responses from other physicians. The application demonstrated prompt response times (84.6% within the first day), successful translation services, and effective resolution of technical issues. The HealUA application achieved broad adoption across medical specialties, fostering robust clinical information exchange during the ongoing conflict. Security standards were upheld and routine technical issues were satisfactorily addressed. Future efforts will focus on broader dissemination and assessing additional implementation outcomes.

Multidimensional Impact Analysis of Public Policies on the European Economy: Taking EU Member States as an Example

Since modern times, with the close trade relations between European countries, they have begun the process of integration in order to strengthen economic cooperation and political unity. In the process of integration, problems such as economic inequality, political differences, and external interference continue to emerge. In the process of solving these problems, public policy plays a crucial role. The European Union promotes cooperation and coordination among member states by formulating and implementing a series of public policies, and promotes the deep development of European integration. This enables European countries to smoothly navigate through various crises. This article mainly discusses the impact of European public policies on the Eurozone economy, including problems in the European economic governance system, exploration and analysis of fiscal integration implementation, policies proposed in response to the rigidity of the Italian labor market, the impact of EU data privacy and financial market regulation policies, and future prospects.

For whom is privacy policy written? A new understanding of privacy policies

This article examines two types of privacy policies required by the GDPR and the PIPL. It argues that even if privacy policies fail to effectively assist data subjects in making informed consent but still facilitate private and public enforcement, it does not mean that privacy policies should exclusively serve one category of its readers. The article argues that, considering the scope and meaning of the transparency value protected by data privacy laws, the role of privacy policies must be repositioned to reduce costs of obtaining and understanding information for all readers of privacy policies.

Strategic responses to personalized pricing and demand for privacy: An experiment

We consider situations in which consumers are aware that a statistical model determines the price of a product based on their observed behavior. Using a novel experiment varying the context similarity between participant data and a product, we find that participants manipulate their responses to a survey regarding personal characteristics, and manipulation is more successful when the contexts are similar. Moreover, participants demand less privacy, and make less optimal privacy choices when the contexts are less similar. Our findings highlight the importance of data privacy policies in the age of big data, in which behavior in apparently unrelated contexts might affect prices.

LEI GERAL DE PROTEÇÃO DE DADOS (LGPD) E O DIREITO DO TRABALHO

The general data protection law, as amended by Law No. 13,853 of 2019 and in force since September 2020, has brought about changes in the way companies handle data, but also has repercussions on labor law. This is because the primary focus of the law was on the protection and privacy of data subjects, who are mainly affected by the sharing of their private data. However, this also includes company employees themselves, and to what extent there is legitimacy in companies sharing this data. Therefore, this article aims to promote a legal study on the General Data Protection Law and its possible consequences for labor law and labor relations. To this end, the article seeks to present the main points addressed by the General Data Protection Law and to promote an analysis of how labor relations may be affected by the enactment of the General Data Protection Law. The methodology used was the literature reference, based on books and articles that deal with the subject. As conclusions, it can be said that it is therefore of utmost importance that there be a creation or amendment of the Code of Ethics and Conduct and the Internal Regulations of the Company, in accordance with the Privacy and Personal Data Protection Policy. In addition to a confidentiality and confidentiality agreement between the employer and the employee, and a means of communication that facilitates the exercise of the rights of the holders. Finally, adjustment of labor agreements with specific provisions on the LGPD. As well as investment in cybersecurity, both in the business context and in remote work.

Text analysis and optimization strategy of an app’s privacy policy from the perspective of dual perception: taking Chinese shopping apps as an example

Purpose This paper aims to conduct an in-depth analysis of the shortcomings of apps’ privacy policies and to propose improvement and optimization strategies, which are of great significance for establishing a transparent and responsible privacy protection framework that ensures compliant collection and use of users’ information and effective protection of their privacy. Design/methodology/approach This paper obtained privacy policy texts for 100 shopping apps through Web crawlers and manual downloads. Based on the perspective of perceived usefulness, thematic analysis is conducted through the latent Dirichlet allocation topic model and comparison with existing policies. Based on the perspective of perceived ease of use, readability analysis is conducted through content analysis and formula calculation. Findings The apps privacy policies can be divided into seven themes. The authors benchmark these seven topics with the Personal Information Protection Law of the People’s Republic of China, the E-Commerce Law of the People’s Republic of China and the General Data Protection Regulation. It is found that there are omissions in the information collection and use and juvenile protection of the existing apps. Through the indicators’ readability analysis and calculation, it is found that the existing apps privacy policies have good performance in the readability indicators such as naming method, frame directory and so on. However, text personalization and text readability need to be improved and optimized. Originality/value At the theoretical level, this paper constructs a model from the dual perception perspectives of perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use and analyses the apps’ privacy policy texts at a fine-grained level. At the practical level, based on large-scale apps’ privacy policy text data, this paper conducts multi-dimensional research from theme analysis, authoritative law benchmarking analysis, content analysis and text readability calculation and analysis. At the same time, this paper identifies the current problems of apps’ privacy policies and puts forward countermeasure suggestions for their content improvement and optimization.

Identifying Levers for Change in Healthcare Coordination Between the Emergency Youth Shelter and Health Systems in Toronto, Canada Through Stakeholder Engagement: A Qualitative Study

Background: Healthcare coordination involves supporting youth experiencing homelessness (YEH) with accessing appropriate healthcare; synchronizing delivery of their healthcare across multiple systems; sharing healthcare and discharge plans with youth and providers who fall under their ‘circle of care;’ and coordinating post-care follow-up as necessary. Challenges with coordinating healthcare within and between the emergency youth shelter (EYS) and health systems include poor accountability for healthcare coordination across systems; information-sharing and privacy policies inhibiting communication between sectoral staff; inconsistencies in system-based and organizational norms, operations, and funding; and each system’s historically fragmented structure. Methods: We used a system thinking framework to identify levers for change in healthcare coordination within and between the EYS and health systems in Toronto, Canada. Six stakeholders who work at various levels of each system participated in online breakout room discussions as part of a two-hour forum facilitated by our research team. A series of four questions were asked to identify levers for change in system parts and system patterns in healthcare coordination within and between the EYS and health systems. Breakout room discussions were recorded, transcribed, and co-analyzed by the research team using reflexive thematic analysis for each question. Results: Organizational and system-wide goals discussed to strengthen healthcare coordination include clarifying accountability in staff roles, revisiting discharge policies to improve continuity of care, prioritizing funding for programs evaluated to be effective, establishing more opportunities for system cross over, enhancing accessibility for YEH, integrating social medicine into healthcare approaches, and streamlining health communication across both systems. When asked about what is realistically possible, stakeholders were optimistic about enhancing information-sharing through digital health platforms, adapting organizational policies to consider the holistic needs of YEH, and dispersing funds more intentionally to support coordination initiatives. Furthermore, poor staff-youth relations, harmful discharge policies and the Toronto housing crisis were noted as patterns impeding meaningful change in coordinating healthcare. Finally, stakeholders identified systems integration and alignment of well-defined healthcare coordination processes across systems to harmonize efforts in achieving healthcare coordination goals. Conclusions: Stakeholder forum participants discussed promising levers for change that are recommended to strengthen parts of the EYS and health systems along with patterns that influence healthcare coordination between them.

Decentralized CP-ABE Scheme for Enhanced University Data Security Using Blockchain

In studying ample data security in universities, it is essential to protect the privacy and integrity of data. Current schemes utilize blockchain technology for data sharing, where cloud servers are responsible for storing ciphertext and performing partial encryption and decryption calculations. Data encryption technology can effectively prevent hacker attacks and ensure the integrity of data transmission. However, cloud servers that are only partially trusted may tamper with the ciphertext or return incorrect results. To solve these problems, this paper improves the privacy of access policy, attribute revocation and data authenticity of traditional CP-ABE algorithm. A protection scheme for ample public data security in universities is proposed, and a decentralized network structure based on multiple nodes is designed to improve the efficiency of data queries. The simulation results show that the scheme performs well in the scenario where the number of system attributes is moderate and the complexity of the access policy is not high.

The Value, Obstacle and Strategy of Digital Empowerment Physical Education in Primary School

With the title of "The Value, obstacle and Strategy of physical education teaching in primary school with digital empowerment", this paper discusses the value, obstacle and optimization strategy from three angles. Through the research, it is found that digital technology can bring great value in primary school physical education, including the advantages of improving teaching effect, enhancing student participation, personalized learning and all-round development. However, digital physical education also faces some obstacles, such as the problem of capital investment, the lack of teachers' digital literacy and professional ability, and the unequal investment in educational resources. In order to optimize the digital effect of primary school physical education, six optimization strategies are proposed: increasing funding investment and sponsorship, enhancing teachers' digital literacy and professional ability, optimizing the investment and distribution of educational resources, promoting students' and parents' participation and recognition, formulating privacy and security policies, and establishing a digital primary school physical education evaluation system in the digital era. Through the implementation of these strategies, the digital development of primary school physical education can be further promoted and the teaching quality and students' comprehensive literacy can be improved.

Blockchain adoption factors in agricultural supply chains: A PLS-SEM study

The purpose of this study is to explore factors influencing the blockchain adoption in agricultural supply chains, to make a particular focus on how security and privacy considerations, policy support, and management support impact the blockchain adoption intention. it further investigates perceived usefulness as a mediating variable that potentially amplifies the effects of these factors on blockchain adoption intention, and sets perceived cost as a moderating variable to test its influence on the strength and direction of the relationship between perceived usefulness and adoption intention. through embedding the cost-benefit theory into the integrated tam-toe framework and utilizing the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) method, this study identifies the pivotal factors that drive or impede blockchain adoption in the agricultural supply chains, which fills the gap of the relatively insufficient research on the blockchain adoption in agriculture field. the results further provide empirical evidence and strategic insights that can guide practical implementations, to equip stakeholders or practitioners with the necessary knowledge to navigate the complexities of integrating cutting-edge technologies into traditional agricultural operations, thereby promoting more efficient, transparent, and resilient agricultural supply chains.

Meta-analysis accelerator: a comprehensive tool for statistical data conversion in systematic reviews with meta-analysis

BackgroundSystematic review with meta-analysis integrates findings from multiple studies, offering robust conclusions on treatment effects and guiding evidence-based medicine. However, the process is often hampered by challenges such as inconsistent data reporting, complex calculations, and time constraints. Researchers must convert various statistical measures into a common format, which can be error-prone and labor-intensive without the right tools.ImplementationMeta-Analysis Accelerator was developed to address these challenges. The tool offers 21 different statistical conversions, including median & interquartile range (IQR) to mean & standard deviation (SD), standard error of the mean (SEM) to SD, and confidence interval (CI) to SD for one and two groups, among others. It is designed with an intuitive interface, ensuring that users can navigate the tool easily and perform conversions accurately and efficiently. The website structure includes a home page, conversion page, request a conversion feature, about page, articles page, and privacy policy page. This comprehensive design supports the tool’s primary goal of simplifying the meta-analysis process.ResultsSince its initial release in October 2023 as Meta Converter and subsequent renaming to Meta-Analysis Accelerator, the tool has gained widespread use globally. From March 2024 to May 2024, it received 12,236 visits from countries such as Egypt, France, Indonesia, and the USA, indicating its international appeal and utility. Approximately 46% of the visits were direct, reflecting its popularity and trust among users.ConclusionsMeta-Analysis Accelerator significantly enhances the efficiency and accuracy of meta-analysis of systematic reviews by providing a reliable platform for statistical data conversion. Its comprehensive variety of conversions, user-friendly interface, and continuous improvements make it an indispensable resource for researchers. The tool’s ability to streamline data transformation ensures that researchers can focus more on data interpretation and less on manual calculations, thus advancing the quality and ease of conducting systematic reviews and meta-analyses.

Privacy Policies in Public Libraries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Countries: Open Doors, Closed Windows

In an era dominated by digital technologies and the exponential growth of data, safeguarding personal privacy is more crucial than ever. This research investigates the privacy policies of public libraries in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, aiming to understand the extent to which these policies protect patrons' privacy rights regarding openness and restrictions. The study employs a qualitative method using structured content analysis of policy documents available through the official websites of the selected public libraries. This study will report coding results to indicate how public libraries in GCC countries address patron and user privacy, including exemptions to established laws and authorities’ protection. This research aims to contribute to the broader discussion on the region's privacy rights and data protection. The findings of this study will provide insights into current privacy practices and identify areas for improvement. The implications of this research will support recommendations for policymakers and the Ministries of Culture in GCC countries.

Weighing user's privacy calculus on personal information disclosure: the moderating effect of social media identification

PurposeWith the widespread collection and utilization of user data, privacy security has become a crucial factor influencing online engagement. In response to the growing concern about privacy security issues on social media, this research aims to examine the key causes of social media users' privacy calculus and how the balance between perceived privacy risks and benefits affects users' privacy concerns and their subsequent willingness to disclose personal information.Design/methodology/approachThe characteristics of the privacy calculus were extracted through partially structured interviews. A research model derived from privacy calculus theory was constructed, and latent variable modeling was employed to validate the proposed hypotheses.FindingsInformation sensitivity, experiences of privacy violations, social influence and the effectiveness of privacy policies influence users' privacy calculus. Privacy risk positively influences privacy concerns. Personal information disclosure willingness is positively influenced by privacy benefits and negatively influenced by privacy concerns, with both paths moderated by social media identification.Originality/valueThis study explores the key antecedents of users' privacy calculus and how these factors influence privacy concerns and subsequent willingness to disclose information on social media. It offers new insights into the privacy paradox observed within social media by validating the moderating role of social media identification on users' information disclosure willingness.

Honesty is the Best Policy: On the Accuracy of Apple Privacy Labels Compared to Apps' Privacy Policies

Apple introduced privacy labels in Dec. 2020 as a way for developers to report the privacy behaviors of their apps. While Apple does not validate labels, they also require developers to provide a privacy policy, which offers an important comparison point. In this paper, we fine-tuned BERT-based language models to extract privacy policy features for 474,669 apps on the iOS App Store, comparing the output to the privacy labels. We identify discrepancies between the policies and the labels, particularly as they relate to data collected linked to users. We find that 228K apps' privacy policies may indicate data collection linked to users than what is reported in the privacy labels. More alarming, a large number (97%) of the apps with a Data Not Collected privacy label have a privacy policy indicating otherwise. We provide insights into potential sources for discrepancies, including the use of templates and confusion around Apple's definitions and requirements. These results suggest that significant work is still needed to help developers more accurately label their apps. Our system can be incorporated as a first-order check to inform developers when privacy labels are possibly misapplied.

Privacy Policies on the Fediverse: A Case Study of Mastodon Instances

Free and open source social platform software has dramatically lowered the barrier to entry for anyone to set up and administer their own social network. This new population of social network administrators thus assume data management responsibilities for sociotechnical systems. Administrators have the power to customize this software, including data collection and data retention, potentially leading to radically different privacy policies. To better understand the characteristics — e.g., the variability, prohibitions, and permissions — of privacy policies on these new social networking platforms, we have conducted a case study of Mastodon. We performed a text analysis of 351 privacy policies and a survey of 104 Mastodon administrators. While most administrators used the default policy that ships with the Mastodon software, we observed that approximately ten percent of our sample tailored their privacy policies to their instances and that some administrators conflated codes of conduct with privacy policies. Our findings suggest the existing market-based individualistic frameworks for thinking about privacy policies do not adequately address this emerging community.

A Systematic Review of Privacy Policy Literature

An organization’s privacy policy states how it collects, stores, processes, and shares its users’ personal information. The growing number of data protection laws and regulations as well as the numerous sectors where the organizations are collecting user information, has led to the investigation of privacy policies with regards to their accessibility, readability, completeness, comparison with organization’s actual data practices, use of machine learning/natural language processing for automated analysis, and comprehension/perception/concerns of end-users via summarization/visualization tools and user studies. However, there is limited work on systematically reviewing the existing research on this topic. We address this gap by conducting a systematic review of the existing privacy policy literature. To this end, we compiled and analyzed 202 papers (published till 31 st December 2023) that investigated privacy policies. Our work advances the field of privacy policies by summarizing the analysis techniques that have been used to study them, the data protection laws/regulations explored, and the sectors to which these policies pertain. We provide actionable insights for organizations to achieve better end-user privacy.

Assessing Privacy Policies and App Settings for User Data Protection: A Data Subject‐Centered Framework Analysis of TikTok in the U.S. and Europe (2023–2024)

ABSTRACTThis study examines the extent to which TikTok's privacy policies and app settings in the U.S. and Europe protect the rights entailed in the data subject‐centered framework. Using a case study approach, we analyze current policy documents and app settings to identify the alignment of TikTok's policies with the GDPR perspective. Our findings reveal that current policies and settings fall short in key areas. First, TikTok policies lack details related to managing and protecting sensitive data. Second, the policies neglect to discuss the responsibilities of social media companies when such data is utilized by unspecified third parties. Furthermore, there is a noticeable deficiency in the U.S. regarding detailed in‐app privacy notices and setting options, especially in terms of managing location data and advertisements. Additionally, there is a need for explanations on how specific settings impact users. Lastly, a critical demand exists for default settings, including those for advertisements, to enhance data protection.

Mental Model-Based Designs: The Study in Privacy Policy Landscape

Users’ mental models influence secure and privacy-preserving behavior in a computing environment. Prior studies on users’ mental models of Internet, security tools, and digital privacy show that there is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to security and privacy design. However, little study to date has explored the ways to translate users’ mental models into interactive security and privacy designs. As we begin to address this gap, we focus on privacy policy in this paper. The typical text-based privacy policy suffers from poor readability and usability. A recent study proposed a Visual Interactive Privacy Policy (VIPP), showing promise to offer a better user experience as compared to prior designs – we used VIPP as a control condition and compared that with our mental model (MM)-based designs, inspired by users’ privacy mental models explored in the existing literature. We iteratively improved our MM-based designs through a series of user studies in the lab setting. We evaluated our updated designs in an online study with 182 participants over Amazon Mechanical Turk. The participants rated MM-based designs significantly better than the control in most of our evaluation parameters. Furthermore, we found that when a design is centered around the mental model of participants, study participants rated it higher in terms of personal connection to the design, perspicuity, attractiveness, being stimulated towards privacy protection, as well as the propensity for real-life adoption. Based on our findings, we discussed the successes and challenges of MM-based designs and provided guidelines on the scope of leveraging mental models in the broader area of privacy and security designs.