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Is Your Privacy for Sale? An Experiment on the Willingness to Reveal Sensitive Information

Author

Listed:
  • Janis Cloos

    (Institute of Management and Economics, Clausthal University of Technology, Julius-Albert-Str. 2, 38678 Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Germany)

  • Björn Frank

    (Institute of Economics, University of Kassel, Nora-Platiel-Str. 4, 34127 Kassel, Germany)

  • Lukas Kampenhuber

    (School of Business and Economics, University of Marburg, Am Plan 1, 35032 Marburg, Germany)

  • Stephany Karam

    (School of Business and Economics, University of Marburg, Am Plan 1, 35032 Marburg, Germany)

  • Nhat Luong

    (Institute of Economics, University of Kassel, Nora-Platiel-Str. 4, 34127 Kassel, Germany)

  • Daniel Möller

    (School of Business and Economics, University of Marburg, Am Plan 1, 35032 Marburg, Germany)

  • Maria Monge-Larrain

    (Institute of Economics, University of Kassel, Nora-Platiel-Str. 4, 34127 Kassel, Germany)

  • Nguyen Tan Dat

    (School of Business and Economics, University of Marburg, Am Plan 1, 35032 Marburg, Germany)

  • Marco Nilgen

    (School of Business and Economics, University of Marburg, Am Plan 1, 35032 Marburg, Germany)

  • Christoph Rössler

    (School of Business and Economics, University of Marburg, Am Plan 1, 35032 Marburg, Germany)

Abstract

We investigate whether individuals’ self-stated privacy behavior is correlated with their reservation price for the disclosure of personal and potentially sensitive information. Our incentivized experiment has a unique setting: Information about choices with real implications could be immediately disclosed to an audience of fellow first semester students. Although we find a positive correlation between respondents’ willingness to accept (WTA) disclosure of their private information and their stated privacy behavior for some models, this correlation disappears when we change the specification of the privacy index. Independent of the privacy index chosen we find that the WTA is significantly influenced by individual responses to personal questions, as well as by different decisions to donate actual money, indicating that the willingness to protect private information depends on the delicacy of the information at stake.

Suggested Citation

  • Janis Cloos & Björn Frank & Lukas Kampenhuber & Stephany Karam & Nhat Luong & Daniel Möller & Maria Monge-Larrain & Nguyen Tan Dat & Marco Nilgen & Christoph Rössler, 2019. "Is Your Privacy for Sale? An Experiment on the Willingness to Reveal Sensitive Information," Games, MDPI, vol. 10(3), pages 1-15, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jgames:v:10:y:2019:i:3:p:28-:d:245811
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Cloos, Janis & Mohr, Svenja, 2022. "Acceptance of data sharing in smartphone apps from key industries of the digital transformation: A representative population survey for Germany," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 176(C).
    2. Svenja Mohr & Janis Cloos, 2021. "Acceptance of Data Sharing in Smartphone Apps from Key Industries of the Digital Transformation: A Representative Population Survey for Germany," MAGKS Papers on Economics 202102, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Faculty of Business Administration and Economics, Department of Economics (Volkswirtschaftliche Abteilung).
    3. Cloos, Janis, 2021. "Employer Review Platforms – Do the Rating Environment and Platform Design affect the Informativeness of Reviews? Theory, Evidence, and Suggestions," management revue - Socio-Economic Studies, Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG, vol. 32(3), pages 152-181.

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