• Asia pacific journal of information systems
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.547-567
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• 2020

As the complexity of managing online personal information is increasing and data breach incidents frequently occur, online users feel a loss of control over their privacy. Such a situation leads to their cynical attitudes towards privacy protection, called privacy cynicism. This study aims to examine the role of privacy cynicism in online users' privacy behaviors. Data were gathered from a survey that 281 people participated in and were analyzed with covariance-based structural equation modeling. The findings of this study reveal that privacy cynicism has not only a direct influence on disclosure intention but also moderates an effect of privacy concerns on the intention. The analytical results also indicate that there is a nonlinear effect of privacy cynicism on the outcome variable. This study developed the concept of privacy cynicism—a phenomenon that significantly affects online privacy behavior but has been rarely examined. The study is an initial research into the nature and implications of privacy cynicism and furthermore clarified its role by the nonlinear relationship between privacy cynicism and the willingness to disclose personal information.

• Informatization Policy
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.37-65
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• 2022

This article analyzes the relationship between the privacy attitudes of MyData users and the four dimensions of privacy cynicism (distrust, uncertainty, powerlessness, and resignation) as to privacy protection intentions through a structural equation model. It was examined that MyData user's internet skills had a statistically significant negative effect on 'resignation' among the privacy cynicism dimensions. Secondly, privacy risks have a positive effect on 'distrust' in MyData operators, 'uncertainty' in privacy control, and 'powerlessness' in terms of privacy cynicism. Thirdly, it was analyzed that privacy concerns have a positive effect on the privacy cynicism dimensions of 'distrust' and 'uncertainty', with 'resignation' showing a negative effect. Fourthly, it was found that only 'resignation' as a dimension of privacy cynicism showed a negative effect on privacy protection intention. Overall, MyData user's internet skills was analyzed as a variable that could alleviate privacy cynicism. Privacy risks are a variable that reinforces privacy cynicism, and privacy concerns reinforce privacy cynicism. In terms of privacy cynicism, 'resignation' offsets privacy concerns and lowers privacy protection intentions.