eThesis - School of Business electronic theses

Objectives

The objective of this study is to understand how Finnish consumers see their privacy in online services. The research seeks to find answers to what extent the consumers are aware of personal information collection and usage: How do they feel about it and what kind of logic they use when they decide whether they hand over their personal information or not. In addition the study analyzes what kind of digital footprint is available from us from the public Internet.

Methodology

The research is qualitative by nature. The empirical research is conducted by utilizing the methods of the long interview by McCracken. In this concept the purpose is to get into the interviewee's mindset and see and reason the world like the interviewee does.

Key findings

The research supports the perception of privacy paradox as consumers often argue their need to protect personal information but act otherwise. Second the differences between online services exist, as consumers tend to trust governmental services over private corporations. Third, the study shows a shift from desktop and laptop Internet browsing to mobile and tablet computing. This change requires new aspects to protect one's privacy.

Key finding of the research includes differentiating an online service by providing a clear and user-friendly privacy policy. The research indicates that online services that take privacy into consideration from the beginning and set clear policies on how personal information is used may utilize privacy as a competitive advantage.