Privacy by region: Evaluation online users' privacy perceptions by geographical region

Hsiao Ying Huang, Masooda Bashir

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

Abstract

This study investigates online users' privacy perceptions based on their geographical regions. We administered an online survey to assess three psychological aspects of privacy perceptions including perceptions of privacy boundary, personal disposition of trust, and behavioral preferences for information sharing. Our results reveal regional differences in users' privacy perceptions and identify three sharing patterns among different regions. We found that regional differences can be explained by social structure and cultural value. For instance, users in North America show more individualistic tendency in sharing preferences; and users in Asia exhibit more collectivist value in their perceptions of information control. We illustrate how regional differences can be employed into system design and propose a set of suggestions for enhancing the design of privacy-preserving systems. We believe this is the first study investigating privacy perceptions from a regional/continent point of view. Therefore, our results provide a new perspective for designing global privacy enhancing systems that include regional considerations.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationFTC 2016 - Proceedings of Future Technologies Conference
PublisherInstitute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.
Pages968-977
Number of pages10
ISBN (Electronic)9781509041718
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 17 2017
Event2016 Future Technologies Conference, FTC 2016 - San Francisco, United States
Duration: Dec 6 2016Dec 7 2016

Publication series

NameFTC 2016 - Proceedings of Future Technologies Conference

Other

Other2016 Future Technologies Conference, FTC 2016
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CitySan Francisco
Period12/6/1612/7/16

Keywords

  • global society
  • information privacy
  • online user
  • technology

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Media Technology
  • Computer Networks and Communications
  • Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition
  • Education
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Computer Science Applications
  • Hardware and Architecture
  • Information Systems

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