After the Snowden incident of 2013, the conversation about transparency and surveillance in our nation became widely discussed. Many US citizens became angry and held negative perceptions of our government upon finding out about its collecting data without users' permission. Thus, the 2014 online study conducted to find out about the public’s level of privacy concern based on their knowledge of the data collectors was highly relevant.
The study essentially sought to find how ubiquitous surveillance affects users’ concerns about the privacy of their personal information. For the purposes of this study, ubiquitous surveillance was defined as “increasing penetration of computerized data capture on a daily basis.” Transparency was defined as “disclosing any piece of information available to the person being surveilled that concerns the identity, purposes or practices of the involved data collectors.”
In some methods of data collection users have exhibited positive perceptions; these methods include online marketing, shopping and job applications. When users see how and why their information is being used, they react positively. For example, users partake in online shopping and companies collect information about what kind of apparel specific customers like. If the customers are aware that companies are tracking their style, they would be less concerned because they were aware of these conditions and the company had no malicious intentions.
The study essentially sought to find how ubiquitous surveillance affects users’ concerns about the privacy of their personal information. For the purposes of this study, ubiquitous surveillance was defined as “increasing penetration of computerized data capture on a daily basis.” Transparency was defined as “disclosing any piece of information available to the person being surveilled that concerns the identity, purposes or practices of the involved data collectors.”
In some methods of data collection users have exhibited positive perceptions; these methods include online marketing, shopping and job applications. When users see how and why their information is being used, they react positively. For example, users partake in online shopping and companies collect information about what kind of apparel specific customers like. If the customers are aware that companies are tracking their style, they would be less concerned because they were aware of these conditions and the company had no malicious intentions.
The hypothesis was based on the idea that if users were aware of the data collectors identity and intentions, concern levels were lower. The hypothesis stated that data collectors' transparency fosters positive reactions and opaqueness yields negative reactions from users. This study dealt with how transparency differs across different “domains of ubiquitous surveillance” and how different levels of transparency affect users’ privacy concerns.
Survey Uses Nine Scenarios to Tests Users' Concern Levels
The experiment was a non-random convenience sample. The study took the form of an online questionnaire, distributed to 1,911 native Finnish-speakers. The average age of respondents was 36 years old and 68 percent of respondents were female. Researchers conducted nine separate surveillance scenarios, which were set up by alternating users' knowledge of the identity and intention of data collectors.
Identity types for data collectors included private, organization and hidden. The three different intention types for data collectors were negative, neutral and hidden. The study measured the general concern for privacy, concern for the particular data exposed, experiential states (frustration, anxiety) and behavioral responses (inhibition of regular behavior).
Identity types for data collectors included private, organization and hidden. The three different intention types for data collectors were negative, neutral and hidden. The study measured the general concern for privacy, concern for the particular data exposed, experiential states (frustration, anxiety) and behavioral responses (inhibition of regular behavior).
The nine different scenarios were rated by average level of users' concern. The graph below depicts the varying levels of concern based on average values.
Data Collectors' Transparency Generates Positive Reactions in Internet Users
Overall, the study found that transparency decreases the level of concern in respondents. Essentially, if people know who is collecting their data and why and what purpose it serves, they are less concerned about their privacy. The study found that the highest level of concern is associated with scenarios in which the data collectors had negative intentions. Most people felt more concerned if they did not know the identity of the data collector. Thus, the hypothesis was proven to be correct.
The study's findings were not surprising, as most individuals naturally feel more threatened when they face uncertainty associated with possible threats; in this case respondents’ privacy was being threatened. The findings of the study suggest that data collectors should unveil their identities and intentions in order to maintain low levels of concern.
No comments:
Post a Comment