Let’s agree to differ: varying interpretations of online privacy policies
Date
2006-10-01
Authors
Advisors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
ISSN
1477-996X
Volume Title
Publisher
Troubadour Publishing
Type
Article
Peer reviewed
Abstract
Description
Trust is a key factor for many aspects of life online, and for this reason many organisations publish a privacy policy statement. Previous research has shown that these display a range of shortcomings, but it has generally been assumed that readers can understand a well-written policy statement. This paper reports on an empirical study in which University students interpreted the provisions of selected privacy policies. The results reveal surprisingly little agreement. This has significant implications for organisations and their online clients. The findings demonstrate that we really understand little about how people interpret privacy statements on websites.
Keywords
RAE 2008, UoA 23 Computer Science and Informatics
Citation
McRobb, S.R. (2006) Let’s agree to differ: varying interpretations of online privacy policies. Journal of Information, Communication and Ethics in Society, 4(4), pp. 215-228.