移动APP用户隐私信息设置行为影响因素及其组态效应研究

Influential Factors and Configuration Effects of User Privacy Setting Behavior in Mobile App

【目的/意义】在APP隐私泄露问题日趋严峻的环境下,移动应用提供的隐私设置功能为用户保护自身的隐私信息提供了一种重要的途径,了解哪些因素会影响以及如何影响移动应用APP用户的隐私设置行为,有利于加强用户个人隐私保护和改进隐私设置功能。【方法/过程】本研究基于保护动机理论与社会认知理论的基本思想,提出七个条件变量并采用问卷调查法搜集数据,然后使用模糊集定性比较分析法对条件变量与用户隐私设置行为结果变量之间的多元因果路径进行分析。【结果/结论】用户主体因素(感知风险、感知隐私控制、隐私关注和行为效益)是用户隐私设置行为产生的必要条件;同时,用户隐私设置行为的条件组合路径包括了政策保障缺失型和隐私泄露负面经历驱动型等五条不同路径。【创新/局限】研究问题和研究思路具有一定创新性,例如关注移动APP用户隐私信息设置行为及其多元因果路径关系,但是也存在着研究变量数量较少,样本抽样方法值得改进等不足。

【Purpose/significance】In the increasingly serious environment of APP privacy disclosure, the privacy settings provided by mobile applications provide an important way for users to protect their privacy information. Knowing what factors and how these factors influence users’ privacy setting behaviors is of great significance for enhancing the privacy settings function and improving the awareness of protecting users’ privacy.【Method/process】Based on the Protection Motivation Theory and Social Cognitive Theory, seven variables are selected and questionnaires are used to collect data. Then FsQCA is conducted to analyze the configuration effects among variables.【Result/conclusion】Variables, such as perceived risk, perceived privacy control, privacy concerns and behavioral benefits are the necessary conditions for user privacy setting behavior. There are five paths that generate user’s privacy setting behavior, such as lack of privacy policy and driven by negative experience.【Innovation/limitation】This paper focuses on mobile APP users’ privacy setting behavior and uses FsQCA to explore the configuration effects among variables, thus enabling the paper to be innovative in research issues and research methodology. However, there are also some limitations, such as the limited number of research variables and the sampling method.