Thin privacy boundaries: proximity and accessibility of E-commerce privacy policy in young consumers of Indonesia

Abstract

PurposePrivacy is a sensitive issue in business because it involves how a platform uses consumer personal data. In terms of consumer rights, personal information needs to be protected in the privacy policy (PP). This study describes several aspects of the PP that consumers need to pay attention to, especially points prone to misuse of personal information.Design/methodology/approachThis research used a taxonomy of consumer privacy concerns in e-commerce to reveal general and specific privacy concerns. The privacy calculus theory was also applied to explore consumer rationalization using (1) consumer knowledge about PP, (2) subjective perception, and (3) proximity to the PP features. Furthermore, the netnographic approach was used to combine the interrelation between technology and social construction. A sample of 378 young consumers in several major cities in Indonesia participated online and offline. Semi-structured interviews were also conducted to gain more in-depth comprehension.FindingsThe results showed that most young consumers have sufficient basic knowledge of the important points of PP. Furthermore, they tend not to read the PP because it is long and cumbersome, and therefore do not wish to expend much cognitive effort on it.Originality/valueThis study provides several results that can be utilized by policymakers or e-commerce companies to pay more attention to PPs for young groups. In addition, e-commerce companies can increase the knowledge of the privacy situation of Internet users in general.Peer reviewThe peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-11-2022-0740