Information Privacy Values, Beliefs and Attitudes: An Empirical Analysis of Web 2.0 Privacy

The commercial potential and rapid growth of Web 2.0 phenomenon have been accompanied by concerns regarding the collection, dissemination, and re-identification of personal information by Web site operators, marketers, and other users on the social networks. To address critical and acute concerns for information privacy, this study investigated users´ privacy perceptions in the Web 2.0 context by integrating privacy values, beliefs and attitudes into a theoretical framework. The research model was tested through a survey study among 218 users of Web 2.0-related sites. In addition to enhancing our theoretical understanding of privacy issues in the Web 2.0 context, this research is also potentially useful to privacy advocates, the Web site operators, and marketers to help shape or justify their decisions concerning the development and deployment of Web 2.0 features.