The study aims to examine internet users' perceptions of information sensitivity, as well as to assess individuals' privacy attitudes, experiences with privacy violations, and risk factors that can influence internet users' privacy concerns. The topic of whether the information is considered sensitive by an individual and what influences this perception of sensitivity emerges since each person perceives information sensitivity differently. This study used an online survey method to collect data utilizing a structured questionnaire, and 385 internet users of Delhi participated in the study to assess their perceived sensitivity through 39 different categories of data. The findings of this research can contribute to a better understanding of how online websites can construct their privacy policies without infringing on individuals' rights to privacy and additionally develop innovative communication strategies to educate customers about the importance of responsible data sharing on websites.
TopIntroduction
Consumer privacy concerns are one of the key impediments to participating in electronic commerce (e-commerce) activities that require customers to share personal information such as address, personal number, credit card information, and so on (Raja, 2016). Therefore, protecting consumers’ privacy is an important factor for the success of e-commerce (Liu, Marchewkab, Luc, & Yu, 2004). However, acquiring customer data is also required for e-commerce to get insights of consumer preferences. The act of selective disclosure (of oneself) in an online context is referred to as online privacy. Online privacy is generally characterized as Internet users' concern about their control over the gathering of information during online activity and control over the use of that information (Buchanan, Paine, Joinson, & Reips, 2007).
Many people underestimate the importance of online privacy, but they should be aware of how much information they are revealing - not only on popular social media platforms but even just by browsing. In other cases, users do not become aware that information about them was collected until after the information is collected. Consumers generally become aware when they receive some type of marketing communication from an entity that has collected information about them (Sheehan & Hoy, 2000). Some internet users, on the other hand, are concerned regarding privacy online and are totally unaware of the risks (Mekovec, 2010). Not only is your privacy threatened, but so is personal safety, especially when you utilize the internet to perform vital and secret tasks such as internet banking and transferring critical business information. According to the studies, users are aware of the growing amount of data collected about them, as well as the potential threats associated with data processing. Customers, on the other hand, are vulnerable in this situation because they have little control over how information is acquired and used by e-marketers beyond the original purpose for which it was collected.
Users perceive items that are more personally identifying as more sensitive (Malheiros, Preibusch, & Sasse, 2013). However, as technology advances, it cannot be assumed that the majority of users comprehend how data might be linked to identify a person. The level of concern that users have regarding data collection is driven not just by which person or organization is collecting their data, or what is their purpose of taking the data, but concerns also arise by the sort of information that is at stake (Ortlieb & Garner, 2016). The topic of whether the information is considered sensitive and what influences this perception of sensitivity emerges, because each individual perceives information sensitivity differently.
Therefore, this research study examines the consumers on an individual level to ascertain their perception of the sensitivity of information shared during online activity. The primary data collection method was used to collect the data with the help of a structured questionnaire, with a focus on the Delhi region's population.
The researchers chose Delhi as their study area because it has the greatest percentage of internet access in India. According to the Telecom Authority of India's (TRAI) report, Delhi's internet subscriber base stood at 40.242 million in March 2020, making it the country's largest urban internet subscriber base. When it comes to internet subscribers per 100 people, Delhi ranked first, with nearly double the users at 199.88, compared to the rest of India.
With the digital surge and the massive amount of data generated every day, privacy violation is inevitable. Data breaches have soared across the country, and data protection is becoming a primary concern for both consumers and organizations (De', Pandey, & Pal, 2020). According to a study by a top VPN service company, India is listed third globally in terms of privacy breaches, with 86.63 million victims up to November 2021.
The findings of this research, therefore, can contribute to a better understanding of how online websites can construct their privacy policies without infringing on individuals' right to privacy, and additionally develop innovative communication strategies to educate customers about the importance of responsible data sharing on online websites.