Knowledge as an effective tool to protect ICT users’ privacy : The layered informed consent as ‘opt-in’ model

Abstract

The present study contributes to the research on communication processes and privacy issues in Social Networks Sites (SNS) and the specific implications for individuals’ informational self-determination in these types of technical environments. The central aim of this project is to investigate whether users are in a position to achieve their desired privacy level with the technical tools and information provided by these online social spaces, to delineate the potentially dangerous context for their privacy and to design an efficient way of introducing new European Commission’s regulation on informed consent in those scenarios. For this purpose, we use an ethnographic approach in conjunction with technical modelling tools. In a first phase of study, we tested competences and knowledge of a group of users of SNS, especially focusing on their attitudes towards privacy and their own protection strategies. The initial empirical findings of this phase suggest that despite their privacy concerns, users tend to show risky practices when introducing their private information on the Net. To assess if this fact is due to information shortage and coevaluate the importance a correct flow of information has to prevent privacy breaches, in the second phase we will provide participants with an informed consent tool.