Antecedents of privacy concerns and online information disclosure: moderating role of government regulation

Abstract

PurposeThis study aimed to determine the antecedents of privacy concerns and their impact on consumers' online information disclosure. It also investigated the moderating role of government regulation on the relationship between privacy concerns and online information disclosure.Design/methodology/approachWith the help of literature review and theories, a theoretical model was developed and then validated using the partial least squares structural equation modeling technique to analyze data from 309 respondents.FindingsThe study found that online users' privacy awareness, privacy experience, personality and cultural differences significantly and positively impact their privacy concerns, which in turn positively and significantly influence their online information disclosure. The study also found that government regulation has a significant impact on online information disclosure.Research limitations/implicationsThe study is cross-sectional in nature and cannot be generalized, and therefore, a longitudinal study could be conducted. Also, the study identified four antecedents of online users' privacy concerns. More antecedents and more sample data with other boundary conditions could have increased the predictive power of the model.Practical implicationsThis study will help practitioners to better understand the privacy concerns of online users, which could help them to develop better products and enhance service quality. Policymakers can develop regulations as per the online users' requirements to increase their confidence in disclosing personal information online and other online activities.Originality/valueFew studies have dealt with online users' information disclosure and their privacy concerns or the moderating role of government regulations on online information disclosure. The study is unique as its proposed model is the first that accounts for both online users' privacy concerns and government regulation and their online information disclosure.