All of me? Users’ preferences for privacy-preserving data markets and the importance of anonymity

Privacy-preserving data markets are one approach to restore users’ online privacy and informational self-determination and to build reliable data markets for companies and research. We empirically analyze internet users’ preferences for privacy in data sharing, combining qualitative and quantitative empirical methods. Study I aimed at uncovering users’ mental models of privacy and preferences for data sharing. Study II quantified and confirmed motives, barriers, and conditions for privacy in data markets. Finally, in a conjoint study, trade-offs between decisive attributes that shape the decision to share data are analyzed. Additionally, differences between user groups with high and with low privacy concerns are observed. The results show that the anonymization level has the greatest impact on the willingness to share data, followed by the type of data. Users with higher privacy concerns are less willing to share data in data markets and want more privacy protection. The results contribute to an understanding of how privacy-preserving data markets could be designed to suit users’ preferences.