Learning by doing oder doing by learning? Die Wechselwirkung zwischen Online- Privatheitskompetenz und Datenschutzverhalten

Abstract

Die Nutzung von und die Kommunikation mit sozialen Medien basiert auf dem Austausch persönlicher Daten. Dabei können Privatheitsrisiken entstehen, vor denen man sich oft nur schwer schützen kann. Damit Menschen Online-Angebote selbstbestimmt nutzen können, ist ein gewisser Schutz ihrer Daten erforderlich. Immer häufiger wird die Online-Privatheitskompetenz als Voraussetzung dafür angesehen. Kritisch hinterfragt wird jedoch, ob Wissen über Online-Privatheit tatsächlich zu aktivem Datenschutz führt. Die Kausalität zwischen Online-Privatheitskompetenz und Datenschutz blieb bislang unerforscht: Schützen Menschen mit hoher Online-Privatheitskompetenz ihre Daten besser? Oder ist es umgekehrt, und Datenschutzverhalten macht Internetnutzende kompetenter? Mit einer Längsschnittstudie haben wir die Wechselwirkung zwischen Online-Privatheitskompetenz und der Umsetzung von Datenschutz von N = 898 Internetnutzenden untersucht. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass Menschen mit höherer Online-Privatheitskompetenz über die Zeit ihre Daten etwas aktiver schützen. Umgekehrt hat Datenschutzverhalten jedoch keinen signifikanten Einfluss auf die Online-Privatheitskompetenz.

Differences in Access to Privacy Information Can Partly Explain Digital Inequalities in Privacy Literacy and Self-Efficacy

“…The results of this study revealed that more educated persons reported easier access to privacy information and had a higher privacy literacy which is consistent with previous studies (Büchi et al, 2021;Epstein & Quinn, 2020;Park, 2013;Schäwel et al, 2021). This finding suggests that people with a lower education might have difficulties in acquiring knowledge about privacy issues, are possibly embedded in networks in which such information is less prevalent, or lack such information as part of school, university, or professional training.…”

“…In the present study, men reported easier access to privacy protection information in their daily routine and had a higher privacy literacy than women. These results are largely consistent with previous studies that found women to have a lower privacy literacy and (as a potential consequence) adopting less privacy protective measures online than men (Büchi et al, 2021;Matzner et al, 2016;Meier & Krämer, 2023;Schäwel et al, 2021). Consequently, women seem to be disadvantaged when compared to men when it comes to receiving information about how to protect one's privacy online which seems to be reflected in their level of actual privacy knowledge.…”

“…As such, privacy literacy enables internet users to protect their personal information from intrusions by others and assert informational self-determination (Trepte et al, 2015). Empirical findings corroborate that internet users who have higher literacy than others engage in higher privacy protection activities (Bartsch & Dienlin, 2016;Park, 2013;Schäwel et al, 2021). However, privacy literacy is unequally distributed in the population since multiple studies imply that older persons, less educated persons, and women have a lower privacy literacy than younger individuals, more educated ones, and men (Büchi et al, 2021;Epstein & Quinn, 2020;Schäwel et al, 2021;Park, 2013).…”

“…Consequently, it is conceivable that persons with certain sociodemographic characteristics have easy or limited access to privacy information because they are more likely embedded in life circumstances (e.g., a particular social environment or profession) in which such information is more or less readily available. For example, because younger or higher educated persons are more likely to have high privacy knowledge and skills (Büchi et al, 2021;Epstein & Quinn, 2020;Park, 2013;Schäwel et al, 2021), being embedded in such a social network should increase the probability of having social ties who possess higher privacy knowledge. Moreover, Morrow (2022) found evidence that men and more highly educated people consume more privacy news than women and less educated people.…”