Of Guardians, Cynics, and Pragmatists - A Typology of Privacy Concerns and Behavior

Online privacy is one of the most discussed topics in the digital era. User concerns about online privacy can be a barrier to the use of digital services. Different approaches, mostly from a social science perspective, try to understand user concerns, attitudes, and behaviors in the online context. Especially the so-called privacy paradox, the discrepancy between high privacy concerns and contradicting low privacy protection behavior, has been of interest. This phenomenon has been explained in different ways: users performing a privacy calculus, making affective decisions, or being overwhelmed, resigned by the complexity of online threats and protective measures. Complementing these theories, we hypothesize that different user types approach privacy differently. A survey (N=337) investigates the privacy attitudes, behaviors, and experiences of German internet users. With a cluster analysis, three distinct types of users were identified: the “Privacy Guardians,” highly concerned and taking much privacy protective actions, the “Privacy Cynics,” concerned but feeling powerless and unable to protect their privacy, and the “Privacy Pragmatists,” showing the least concerns which they weigh against benefits. These user groups need different tools and guidelines for protecting their