The Privacy Mismatch: Evolved Intuitions in a Digital World. (April 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Shariff, Azim; Green, Joe; Jettinghoff, William
• Is Part Of: Current directions in psychological science. Volume 30:Number 2(2021)
• Page Start: 159
• Page End: 166
• Publication Date: 2021-04
• Subjects: emotion -- evolution -- Internet -- privacy -- technology; Psychology -- Periodicals; 150
• DOI: 10.1177/0963721421990355
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0963-7214

Abstract

Although people report grave concern over their data privacy, they take little care to protect it. We suggest that this privacy paradox can be understood in part as the consequence of an evolutionary mismatch: Privacy intuitions evolved in an environment that was radically different from the one found online. This evolved privacy psychology leaves people disconnected from the consequence of online privacy threats.