New research on Privacy Risks published in Information Systems Journal

Information from users or customers constitutes a key factor in the innovation and success of firms. However, disclosing their personal information can have potentially adverse consequences for these individuals. When making decisions concerning the use of digital service and disclosure of personal information, individuals therefore wonder ‘What could happen to me if this information about me were accessible to others?’. If the perceived privacy risks are too high, individuals will not use digital services or will refrain from providing information that allows firms to provide, personalise and ultimately monetise their services. The research team led by Sabrina Karwatzki, Manuel Trenz and Daniel Veit provides novel insights into the multidimensional nature of privacy risks and shows, how those risks can be measured and mitigated through technology design. The article titled "The multidimensional nature of privacy risks: Conceptualisation, measurement and implications for digital services" has now been published in the Information Systems Journal.

Abstract: While today consumers benefit from personalised service offerings, they are also understandably concerned about the privacy risks generated by disclosing their personal information online. We know that such perceived risks in general shape behaviour, but we know little about what specific privacy risks obstruct the use of digital services, making it difficult to implement technologies that could mitigate these risks. Based on qualitative and quantitative studies involving over 1000 participants, we conceptualise and quantify a multidimensional perspective on privacy risks consisting of physical, social, resource-related, psychological, prosecution-related, career-related and freedom-related privacy risks. Our results explicate the prospects of distinguishing privacy risk dimensions by demonstrating how they are differently pronounced across contexts and how technology designs can be tailored to assuage them. Thus, our findings improve the understanding of context and service-specific privacy risks, helping managers to adjust their digital offerings to mitigate users' privacy risk perceptions.

Further information

Reference: Karwatzki, S., Trenz, M., and Veit, D. 2022. “The Multidimensional Nature of Privacy Risks: Conceptualisation, Measurement and Implications for Digital Services,” Information Systems Journal, Forthcoming. (https://doi.org/10.1111/isj.12386).
Link: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/13652575
About the journal: Information Systems is a premier international journal in the research field of Information Systems. The journal is rated A by the German Academic Association for Business Research (VHB) in JOURQUAL3 (Impact factor 7.453 (2020)).