Perceptions of privacy on Facebook

Information privacy in an information age is a paradoxical issue, especially with the recentinnovations of the Internet. Social networking sites collect a great deal of personal informationabout their users. Previous studies regarding both traditional and online commercial marketplaceprivacy issues have found consumers to be wary of disclosing personal information, but alsounaware of the regulations concerning sharing of customer information among companies. Thisstudy focused on the differences between heavy and light users’ perceptions on privacy onFacebook. Results from a 25-question survey showed heavy users of social networking sitesperceive a greater depth of communication on Facebook and have a more accurate perception ofFacebook’s privacy policy than did light users of social networking sites.