Privacy? What’s that? Differences in privacy boundaries

Purpose While research on privacy concerns is rich in understanding and depth, there is still not a clear understanding of why people express having privacy concerns, but do not behave consistently with their concern. We propose that this misalignment derives from a diverse set of privacy boundaries, depending on the user. This research builds on prior Communication Privacy Management Theory research to further define individual privacy boundaries. Beyond that, we evaluate the relationship between the privacy boundaries people set, and their ability to protect themselves. Design/methodology/approach A survey was conducted to assess how private individuals find twenty items. Along with measuring the sensitivity of information, we collected responses on the Online Privacy Information Literacy test to measure differences in sensitivity based on privacy knowledge. 285 participant’s responses were evaluated using exploratory factor analysis and K-means clustering. Findings We identify five different groups of privacy indicators. Our findings also suggest that users have limited understanding of how to keep data private, even if they have high privacy concerns. Originality/value We contribute to theory by offering guidance on how to better apply theoretical understanding, based on our results. More explicitly, we offer analysis that suggests boundary conditions might be absent from current theoretical understanding. Practically, we offer guidance for understanding privacy differences, which is important to understanding how to implement privacy protection laws.