Toward a privacy model for social networking services

Users' willingness to engage in sharing personal identifiable information (PII) via social networking services (SNS) is impacted by a set of formative factors that structure the personal value system. In this study, we argue that the strength of this impact is moderated by a number of episodic factors that develop prior to the actual use of the SNS. A causal model that explains the relationships between the constructs is proposed.

I. Introduction

The exponential increase in the use of SNS has opened a Pandora's Box of issues concerning threats to individual privacy as a result of the gleaning, reprocessing, distribution, and storing of users' PI [1], [2]. While users perceive privacy concerns as major inhibitors to the use of SNS, this use continues to increase each year [3]. Existing studies have examined various individual trust factors that have an effect on users' willingness to share PII [4]; however, there is a gap in literature that distinguishes between the effects of the foundational (static) factors (based on a core set of beliefs and values) and temporal factors (occurring during the extent of the SNS transaction) on the user's willingness to share PII via SNS. In this study, we argue that static factors have a direct impact on users' willingness to share PII via SNS and propose that the strength of this impact is moderated by a set of episodic factors that develop before the actual SNS use. The paper concludes with a proposed causal model to explain the relationships between the constructs.