"International Differences in Information Privacy Concern: Implications for the Globalization of Electronic Commerce"
2005
Publication type: Working paper
Research Archive Topic: Marketing, Media and Technology, World Business
Abstract
Privacy concerns and willingness to participate in relationship marketing differ around the world. Using a sample of Internet users from 38 countries matched against the Internet population of the United States, the authors tested hypotheses relating variance in information privacy concern to differences in cultural values, national regulation of privacy, and familiarity with Web privacy practices. Cultural values and national regulation had a significant influence on privacy concerns, as did the sensitivity of the context of data collection. After controlling for differences in demographics and Internet experience, there were significant residual differences between the privacy concerns of consumers from six regions: U.S., Canada, the UK and Ireland, Continental Europe (current members of the EU), Australia and New Zealand, and other Countries. While there are substantial areas of agreement, for example, that private information should not be shared without permission, in other areas, consumers from the U.S. differ significantly from consumers in some other regions, and these differences suggest the need for customized privacy protocols.
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