Description
Research on the Privacy Calculus, which explains individuals' intention to disclose personal data, mostly focuses on dyadic disclosures in which individuals disclose data to a single firm. So far, little attention has been paid to understand the characteristics of data disclosures to a network of firms. We refer to data sharing of firms in a network as "Business Network Data Exchange"(BNDE). We explore risk perception for data disclosures in a BNDE context based on an exploratory survey. Our results indicate that risk perception for data disclosures in the BNDE context deviates from rational risk perception theory. In particular, individuals perceive the risk to disclose data to a network of two firms as lower than the maximum risk of the separate dyadic data disclosures. These results portend the need for an adapted and nuanced view on perceived risks in this context and have important practical implications for data-sharing among firms.
An Exploratory Study of Risk Perception for Data Disclosure to a Network of Firms
Research on the Privacy Calculus, which explains individuals' intention to disclose personal data, mostly focuses on dyadic disclosures in which individuals disclose data to a single firm. So far, little attention has been paid to understand the characteristics of data disclosures to a network of firms. We refer to data sharing of firms in a network as "Business Network Data Exchange"(BNDE). We explore risk perception for data disclosures in a BNDE context based on an exploratory survey. Our results indicate that risk perception for data disclosures in the BNDE context deviates from rational risk perception theory. In particular, individuals perceive the risk to disclose data to a network of two firms as lower than the maximum risk of the separate dyadic data disclosures. These results portend the need for an adapted and nuanced view on perceived risks in this context and have important practical implications for data-sharing among firms.