Abstract:
One of the characteristics shared by most, if not all, aspects of the e-phenomenon is that it poses new challenges to privacy. This paper will discuss the concept of privacy and analyse which differences regarding the attention to privacy exist between different sectors. Based on a broad literature review on the ethical foundations of privacy, we have identified three research questions: 1. What are the reasons given by organisations to protect privacy? 2. What is the perceived nature of privacy? and 3. How do organisations address different stakeholders? These questions are explored by analysing the privacy policies of organisations from three different sectors: e-commerce, e-teaching and e-government. We will argue that the three sectors come to different answers to the above question but that privacy is an overarching concern that needs to be addressed. It is therefore justified to say that the e-phenomenon exists, at least insofar as it creates a necessity for organisations to consider the issues raised by privacy.
Description:
All aspects of the "e" phenomenon pose new challenges to privacy. This paper discusses the ethical foundations of privacy and contributes an empirical analysis of the different attitudes towards privacy found in privacy policy statements sampled from the e-commerce, e-teaching and e-government sectors. The analysis confirms that there is sector-specific variation in the reasons given by organisations to protect privacy, the perceived nature of privacy, and the manner in which the concerns of different stakeholders are addressed. This underscores the need for organisations’ privacy policies to be sensitive to their stakeholders, since the concerns vary with context.
This is the authors final peer-reviewed version of the article. The published version of this article can be found by following the DOI below.
