Information Disclosure in Mobile Device: Examining the Influence of Information Relevance and Recipient

Abstract

Privacy enhancing technologies (PETs) in mobile platforms typically restrict undesired information flow based on its sensitivity. However, sensitivity is often regarded as dichotomous and inflexible to the ever-changing contexts. Improving the effectiveness of PETs requires a better understanding of these contexts. In this paper, we examine the influence of contextual factors in users’ mobile usage based on Nissenbaum’s framework of contextual integrity. Specifically, we conducted a user study (n = 2889) to investigate the influence of relevance of information types on the willingness of disclosure towards typical groups of recipient. While the results suggest a significant relationship between information relevance (of different information) and willingness to disclose (to different recipients), closer examination reveals the relationship is not always clear-cut, and there is a potential influence of recipient. Therefore, incorporating the recipient factor can serve as a potential improvement to the existing approach in privacy management in the mobile device.