Personal data breaches: why certain individuals are victims, while others act. The role of cultural preferences
Résumé
Respect for privacy is a much-explored topic in recent studies on the impact of new technologies on consumers, employees and citizens. Most of these studies have taken an attitudinal rather than a behavioural approach, examining concerns as opposed to responses. This paper, a synthesis of thesis research by Christelle Aubert-Hassouni, presents the responses to personal data breaches, and explores the impact of cultural preferences. While the legal means for the protection of personal data (consent, complaint, withdrawal or deletion of data) are based on an individual interest in protecting one’s privacy, this study demonstrates that there are cultural preferences influencing other actions, such as concern for others (values of tradition and social equality). It also highlights the limits to an overindividualisation of these means and the advantage of more collective actions led by regulatory authorities and companies