Despite 81% of American being concerned about their privacy, 6 in 10 people “always” skip reading privacy, with even more “sometimes” skipping (Pew Research)
This website aims to educate users on the privacy gap in order to decrease the disconnect in their philosophical values about privacy and their behavior. But what exactly is this phenomenon? The privacy gap (also known as the “privacy paradox”) is simple but baffling: we say we care deeply about our online privacy, yet our actions tell a completely different story. Most of us freely hand over personal information online despite claiming to be concerned about privacy.
Research consistently shows this disconnect. In one famous study by Acquisti and Grossklags, participants who claimed to highly value privacy would still trade personal information for relatively small rewards. In another study by Norberg et al., researchers found significant discrepancies between consumers' stated privacy intentions and their actual disclosure behaviors. When participants were initially asked about willingness to disclose, they expressed high privacy concerns, but when actually requested to provide the same information later, they readily disclosed it.
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Additionally, the Beresford et al. study showed that when given a choice between two online DVD stores, one requesting more personal information than the other but offering a €1 discount, the vast majority of participants (82.3%) chose the discounted store despite the privacy invasion. The rational value of that information was worth more than €1, yet participants readily traded it away.
Further, Sundar's research exposed how easily we're manipulated by interface design. His team found that simple visual cues (like security logos or statements that "70% of users have completed their profiles") significantly increased people's willingness to share sensitive information. When interviewed afterward, participants admitted these contextual cues influenced their decisions more than anything else.
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The privacy gap explains why companies can continue harvesting our data while we complain about privacy loss. We might demand better privacy protection in surveys, but our actual behavior reveals we're willing to trade our personal information for convenience, small discounts, or social connection.
