citizens-data-advice-agency
Abstract
Online tracking is a primary concern for Internet users, yet
previous research has not found a clear link between the cognitive understanding of tracking and protective actions. We
postulate that protective behaviour follows affective evaluation of tracking. We conducted an online study, with N=614
participants, across the UK, Germany and France, to investigate how users feel about third-party tracking and what
protective actions they take. We found that most participants’
feelings about tracking were negative, described as deeply intrusive - beyond the informational sphere, including feelings
of annoyance and anxiety, that predict protective actions. We
also observed indications of a ‘privacy gender gap’, where
women feel more negatively about tracking, yet are less likely
to take protective actions, compared to men. And less UK
individuals report negative feelings and protective actions,
compared to those from Germany and France. This paper contributes insights into the affective evaluation of privacy threats
and how it predicts protective behaviour. It also provides a
discussion on the implications of these findings for various
stakeholders, make recommendations and outline avenues for
future work.
