Online consumer privacy concerns and willingness to provide personal data on the internet

ISSN： 1470-9503

Source： International Journal of Networking and Virtual Organisations, Vol.6, Iss.6, 2009-08, pp. : 574-603

Disclaimer: Any content in publications that violate the sovereignty, the constitution or regulations of the PRC is not accepted or approved by CNPIEC.

Previous Menu Next

Abstract

Our research examines the manner in which web users choose between participation in the internet economy and protection of their personal data. We study the influence of various contextual elements (e.g., the privacy policies posted on sites) and individual characteristics (e.g., privacy concerns) on the willingness to communicate personal data online. An experimental study carried out on a sample of French students provides the framework for testing our conceptual model. The impact of privacy concerns on web users' attitude is confirmed. Privacy policies and the amount of data requested are also shown to influence the willingness to self-disclose. Finally, our findings establish that situational factors have a greater impact on the decision to provide personal data than personal convictions.