More and more we are reading about issues
and concerns that have arisen from our lives and work in an increasingly
technological age. It seems all of us—from the popular press, to
local, state, and federal governments, to academic researchers and scholars—are
struggling to find our way through the complexities created by the so-called
“new economy.” Despite the numerous and varied issues and concerns,
however, there seems to be a convergence of attention from these diverse
points of interest on privacy, to include privacy concerns among online
consumers, consumers’ willingness to provide personal information, issues
related to the availability of personal information on electronic databases,
and the use of personal information gathered by businesses and government,
as well as other individual consumers, via the Internet. To no one’s
surprise, much of this attention has spurred discussion and debate about
regulatory requirements and raised concerns over our ability to control
the management (or mismanagement) of information.
While the academic literature and the popular
press have recognized the importance of privacy concerns as they relate
to consumers’ use of the Internet, a single, uniform concept of privacy
has not been adopted. As a matter of fact, a review of the literature
suggests considerable confusion regarding our understanding and application
of the concept. For example, findings from a comprehensive and detailed
analysis of recent publications by academic scholars, the press, business
and legal practitioners, among others revealed that the terms “privacy”
and “security” are frequently used synonymously. This realization
led to a more thorough examination of the use of the terms (i.e., privacy
and security) and resulted in the identification of two related concepts,
namely confidentiality and anonymity in relation to the concepts of privacy
and security.
CONFIDENTIALITY
· The personal information you provide
is held in confidence by the company and not shared with others.
ANONYMITY
· Your online activity is not linked
in any way to your name or other identifying information.
PRIVACY
· Your interests and activities remain
private and you are not subjected to unsolicited information or requests
by businesses.
SECURITY
· There are precautions taken by the
company to ensure that your personal information is secured and protected
from others and unintended uses.
Considering the distinctions drawn by the definitions
above, it should not be surprising to discover differences in the nature
and strength of Internet users’ attitudes toward the use of personal data—both
in-country and internationally. Exploring both differences and similarities
may help us evaluate the future potential of E-Commerce in different countries
and regions of the world. |
