Design of Surveillance Technologies and Privacy Concerns

Abstract

Researchers from numerous management, social sciences and psychological disciplines have attempted to investigate the phenomenon of surveillance and the way it influences privacy concerns among individuals. But no study has attempted to interpret the relationship between individuals’ perception of surveillance technologies and the way they react to surveillance and develop their privacy concerns. We conduct a review of 207 prominent IT journals within the Scopus databases to examine and interpret individuals’ perception of different designs of surveillance technologies (non-obtrusive vs. obtrusive) and how such technologies influence privacy concerns at individual, corporate and societal level. Our review suggests that both non-obtrusive (automatic) and obtrusive (self-input) surveillance are used at individual, corporate and societal level differentially. In the light of our findings, we identify research gaps, propose recommendations, and further opportunities for future research that will enrich academic discourse in IS and create value for corporate firms, government and policy makers.