When Do Data Collection and Use Become a Matter of Concern? A Cross-Cultural Comparison of U.S. and Dutch Privacy Attitudes

Authors

  • Jessica Vitak College of Information Studies, University of Maryland
  • Yuting Liao Senior UX Researcher, Intuit
  • Anouk Mols Postdoctoral Scholar, Erasmus University
  • Daniel Trottier Associate Professor, Erasmus University
  • Michael Zimmer Associate Professor, Marquette University
  • Priya C. Kumar Assistant Professor, Penn State University
  • Jason Pridmore Associate Professor, Erasmus University

Keywords:

privacy, trust, contextual integrity, data collection, cross-cultural, General Data Protection Regulation

Abstract

Around the world, people increasingly generate data through their everyday activities. Much of this happens unwittingly through sensors, cameras, and other surveillance tools on roads, in cities, and at the workplace. However, how individuals and governments think about privacy varies significantly around the world. In this article, we explore differences between people’s attitudes toward privacy and data collection practices in the United States and the Netherlands, two countries with very different regulatory approaches to governing consumer privacy. Through a factorial vignette survey deployed in the two countries, we identify specific contextual factors associated with concerns regarding how personal data are being used. Using Nissenbaum’s framework of privacy as contextual integrity to guide our analysis, we consider the role that five factors play in this assessment: actors (those using data), data type, amount of data collected, reported purpose of data use, and inferences drawn from the data. Findings indicate nationally bound differences as well as shared concerns and indicate future directions for cross-cultural privacy research.

Author Biographies

Jessica Vitak, College of Information Studies, University of Maryland

Associate professor in the University of Maryland’s iSchool and an affiliate professor in UMD’s Communication Department.

Yuting Liao, Senior UX Researcher, Intuit

Senior UX Researcher, Intuit

Anouk Mols, Postdoctoral Scholar, Erasmus University

Postdoctoral Scholar, Erasmus University

Daniel Trottier, Associate Professor, Erasmus University

Associate Professor, Erasmus University

Michael Zimmer, Associate Professor, Marquette University

Associate Professor, Marquette University

Priya C. Kumar, Assistant Professor, Penn State University

Assistant Professor, Penn State University

Jason Pridmore, Associate Professor, Erasmus University

Associate Professor, Erasmus University

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Published

2022-12-29

Issue

Section

Articles