Projects

Privacy and Self-Disclosure Online

Summary

Disclosure of personal, often sensitive, information is critical to the development of trust and understanding in human relations. Increasingly, we will also need to disclose such information to relative strangers and information systems.

The PRISD project examines the determinants of people’s willingness to disclose personal information to Internet-based systems, the limits of that disclosure, and the consequences for the design of systems.

Uniquely, the focus of the project is on both the technology used to request personal information, and the social context in which the information is sought. The project uses experimental social psychology methodology and psychometrics to investigate people’s willingness to disclose personal information.

Research Questions

The project has a number of key research questions:

• Do privacy concerns, trust and technical experience predict willingness to disclose personal information online?
• What are the roles of the power and status of the requestor, participant anonymity and perceived informational privacy in enabling or inhibiting expressive privacy?
• Can privacy be accommodated in the design of e-society systems that rely on personal information?

Modern technologies such as data mining pose a real threat to informational privacy. While concern about the privacy implications of new technology are nothing new, the development and linking of databases with biometrics, and the tension between the need for identification, protection of privacy and full participation in the e-society makes an understanding of the relations between privacy and the disclosure and use of personal information critical.

Project Plan

A series of experimental studies have been designed to examine a number of factors hypothesied to influene privacy -motivated behvaiuor and self-disclosure to web-based services. Each study uses an electronic surveying infrastructure developed the the Open University.

First, participants will complete measures of privacy concern in online systems. Next, a number of experiments will examine the role of the audience / requestor characteristics, the design of disclosure-requiring websites and anonymity on disclosure behaviour. Finally, participant’s earlier responses will be used to predict their later disclosure-based behaviour.

Understanding how people balance their privacy concerns with the need to disclose personal information will be a critical issue in the adoption and development of e-society systems over the next few years. The results of this research project will be of interest to social scientists, Government and e-commerce.

Project Status

The PRISD project started in early 2005. Since then we have conducted a number of studies. In brief, the PRISD project has consisted of the following studies so far:

1. Development Survey
A survey was sent out to over 500 ICQ users automatically using DIP – a dynamic interviewing program. This survey consisted of open questions asking respondents for their online privacy concerns and any resulting actions they take to protect their online privacy.

2. Study 1
From the responses provided to the development survey, a set of privacy attitude and privacy behaviour items were developed. These items were tested alongside a number of self-disclosure items using an online survey. Over 500 people responded to this survey.

3. Validation Study
Following Study 1, a validation study was conducted to further test the privacy and self-disclosure measures. Participants of this study were members of online discussion groups which could be classed as either 'high privacy concerned' or 'low privacy concerned' groups.

4. Study 2, part 1
The responses from Study 1 and the validation study were used to create a final set of privacy attitude and privacy behaviour measures. An online survey was sent out to participants which included these measures alongside some existing measures of privacy concern. In addition, the final part of the survey asked participants for their attitudes towards identity cards within the UK . Over 1000 people responded in total.

5. Study 2, part 2
The same participants who responded to Study 2, part 1 were sent a second online survey which consisted of the self-disclosure measures developed in Study 1 alongside a number of existing measures of social desirability and self disclosure. Responses from Study 2 part 1 and study 2 part 2 are being combined.

6. Study 3
In Study 3 we manipulated the format of the response options available to participants responding to sensitive questions. As part of this study we also explored the links between personality and privacy attitudes and behaviours. We are currently analysing this data.

7. Study 4
A more detailed investigation of disclosure by looking at the various types (e.g. active disclosure, passive disclosure, truthful disclosure, deception, vague response) and manipulation of perceived privacy. We are currently analysing this data.

If you would like to take part in future PRISD studies please click here.

Publications

Press

13/03/2006 http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/03/13/ou_idcard_study/

13/03/2006 http://www.silicon.com/publicsector/0,3800010403,39157146,00.htm

20/03/2006 IT Week http://www.itweek.co.uk/itweek/news/2152301/study-shows-id-concerns

20/03/2006 Infomatics http://www.infomaticsonline.co.uk/itweek/news/2152301/study-shows-id-concerns

Reports

Joinson, A., Paine, C., Buchanan, T. and Reips, U-D. (2006) (pdf)
Compulsion and Attitudes to Identity Cards in the United Kingdom http://elsa.open.ac.uk/presto/prisd/Files/Privacy&IDCards_2ndreport.pdf

Joinson, A., Paine, C., Buchanan, T. and Reips, U-D. (2005) Privacy attitudes and ID Cards: An experimental comparison of alternative approaches. (pdf)
http://iet.open.ac.uk/pp/a.n.joinson/prisd/PRISD_report1.pdf

Papers / Chapters

Joinson, A.N, Paine, C.B, Buchanan, T., Reips, U-D. (in press) Watching me, watching you: Privacy attitudes and reactions to identity card implementation scenarios in the United Kingdom. Journal of Information Science. (pdf)
http://elsa.open.ac.uk/presto/prisd/Files/Joinson_et_al_06.pdf

Joinson, A.N and Paine, C.B. (in press) Self-disclosure, privacy and the Internet. In Joinson, A.N., McKenna, K., Postmes, T. and Reips, U.-D. (Eds.). Oxford Handbook of Internet Psychology. Oxford University Press (pdf)

Buchanan, T., Paine, C.B, Joinson, A.N and Reips, U-D. (in press) Development of measures of online privacy concern and protection for use on the Internet. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology. (pdf) http://elsa.open.ac.uk/presto/prisd/Files/Buchanan_et_al_06.pdf

Paine, C.B., Reips, U-D., Stieger, S., Joinson, A.N. & Buchanan, T. (under review) Internet users' perceptions of ‘privacy concerns' and ‘privacy actions'. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies.

Paine, C.B., Joinson, A.N., Buchanan, T. and Reips, U-D. (2005) Privacy and self-disclosure online: Implications for web based surveys. Paper presented at the ESF Workshop on Internet survey methodology, September 2005, Dubrovnik, Croatia.

Buchanan, T., Paine, C.B, Joinson, A.N. and Reips, U-D. (2006) Development of measures of online privacy concern and protection for use on the Internet. Paper to be presented at the British Psychological Society Annual Conference, Cardiff, March 2006.

Joinson, A.N., Paine, C.B., Buchanan, T. and Reips, U-D. (2006) Measuring Internet Privacy Attitudes and Behavior: A multi-dimensional approach. Workshop paper ('Privacy Methodologies') to be presented at CHI 2006, Montreal, April 2006.

Joinson, A.N., Paine, C.B., Reips, U-R., & Buchanan, T. (2006). Privacy and Trust: The role of situational and dispositional variables in online disclosure. Paper to be presented at Pervasive 2006: The 4th International Conference on Pervasive Computing, Dublin, May.

Paine, C.B., Joinson, A.N., Buchanan, T. and Reips, U-D. (2006) Privacy and self-disclosure online. Paper to be presented at the British Psychological Society Annual Conference, Cardiff, March 2006.

Paine, C.B., Joinson, A. N., Buchanan, T. & Reips, U-D. (2006). Privacy and Self-Disclosure Online. Work in Progress paper to be presented at CHI 2006, Montreal, April 2006.

Paine, C.B., Reips, U-D., Stieger, S., Joinson, A.N. & Buchanan, T. (under review) Internet users’ perceptions of ‘privacy concerns’ and ‘privacy actions’. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies.

Conference Presentations

Paine, C.B., Joinson, A.N., Buchanan, T. and Reips, U-D. (2005) Privacy and self-disclosure online: Implications for web based surveys. Paper presented at the ESF Workshop on Internet survey methodology, September 2005, Dubrovnik , Croatia (powerpoint)

Buchanan, T., Paine, C.B, Joinson, A.N. and Reips, U-D. (2006) Development of measures of online privacy concern and protection for use on the Internet. Paper presented at the British Psychological Society Annual Conference, Cardiff , March 2006.

Joinson, A.N., Paine, C.B., Buchanan, T. and Reips, U-D. (2006) Measuring Internet Privacy Attitudes and Behavior: A multi-dimensional approach. Workshop paper ('Privacy Methodologies') presented at CHI 2006, Montreal , April 2006.

Joinson, A.N., Paine, C.B., Reips, U-R., & Buchanan, T. (2006). Privacy and Trust: The role of situational and dispositional variables in online disclosure. Paper presented at Pervasive 2006: The 4th International Conference on Pervasive Computing, Dublin , May.

Paine, C.B., Joinson, A.N., Buchanan, T. and Reips, U-D. (2006) Privacy and self-disclosure online. Paper presented at the British Psychological Society Annual Conference, Cardiff , March 2006.

Paine, C.B., Joinson, A. N., Buchanan, T. & Reips, U-D. (2006). Privacy and Self-Disclosure Online. Work in Progress paper presented at CHI 2006, Montreal , April 2006.