Skip to main content
Presented to you through Paradigm Publishing Services

Manchester University Press

Visit our Partner Page See all our books
Chapter
Licensed
Unlicensed Requires Authentication

Level 4

Preferences

Abstract

The fourth level of privacy discourse is cognitive psychology, people’s preferences and related topics such as utility and choice. The nature of preferences is discussed, including their (lack of) rationality, consistency and constancy. They can be influenced externally, and they can themselves be subject to preferences – one can have second-order preferences about one’s first-order preferences. A mismatch between these can lead to an intention-behaviour gap that has been termed the privacy paradox, that people express concern with privacy while behaving in such a way as to expose themselves to privacy breaches. Many influential theories of privacy assert that it is a type of control (e.g. over the flow of information about oneself), but it is shown that such theories conflate the nature of privacy itself with the achievement of one’s privacy preferences. Control only pertains to the latter. Control theories ignore the possibility of paternalism about privacy, assume a kind of voluntarism and see it as necessarily empowering. However, they also gloss over exhibitionism, and the desire for celebrity and notoriety. The example is given of Jennifer Ringley’s candid webcam Jennicam, which broadcast her everyday life for several years. Clearly, Ringley had control, and no privacy. The theory of privacy-as-control has too many paradoxes to be taken seriously as a conceptual analysis of privacy.

Abstract

The fourth level of privacy discourse is cognitive psychology, people’s preferences and related topics such as utility and choice. The nature of preferences is discussed, including their (lack of) rationality, consistency and constancy. They can be influenced externally, and they can themselves be subject to preferences – one can have second-order preferences about one’s first-order preferences. A mismatch between these can lead to an intention-behaviour gap that has been termed the privacy paradox, that people express concern with privacy while behaving in such a way as to expose themselves to privacy breaches. Many influential theories of privacy assert that it is a type of control (e.g. over the flow of information about oneself), but it is shown that such theories conflate the nature of privacy itself with the achievement of one’s privacy preferences. Control only pertains to the latter. Control theories ignore the possibility of paternalism about privacy, assume a kind of voluntarism and see it as necessarily empowering. However, they also gloss over exhibitionism, and the desire for celebrity and notoriety. The example is given of Jennifer Ringley’s candid webcam Jennicam, which broadcast her everyday life for several years. Clearly, Ringley had control, and no privacy. The theory of privacy-as-control has too many paradoxes to be taken seriously as a conceptual analysis of privacy.

Chapters in this book

  1. Front Matter i
  2. Dedication v
  3. Contents vii
  4. Preface ix
  5. Introduction 1
  6. Part 1 introduction 6
  7. Disarray 1 7
  8. Disarray 2 22
  9. Disarray 3 40
  10. Part 2 introduction 46
  11. Explanation 1 47
  12. Explanation 2 60
  13. Explanation 3 66
  14. Part 3 introduction 77
  15. Level 1 85
  16. Level 2 103
  17. Level 3 112
  18. Level 4 124
  19. Level 5 142
  20. Level 6 157
  21. Level 7 170
  22. Part 4 introduction 208
  23. Commentary 1 209
  24. Commentary 2 217
  25. Commentary 3 228
  26. Part 5 introduction 239
  27. Level 1 topic 241
  28. Level 2 topic 250
  29. Level 3 topic 257
  30. Level 4 topic 261
  31. Level 5 topic 267
  32. Level 6 topic 273
  33. Level 7 topic 283
  34. Conclusion 299
  35. References 310
  36. Index 361
The seven veils of privacy
This chapter is in the book The seven veils of privacy
https://doi.org/10.7765/9781526163042.00021

Chapters in this book

  1. Front Matter i
  2. Dedication v
  3. Contents vii
  4. Preface ix
  5. Introduction 1
  6. Part 1 introduction 6
  7. Disarray 1 7
  8. Disarray 2 22
  9. Disarray 3 40
  10. Part 2 introduction 46
  11. Explanation 1 47
  12. Explanation 2 60
  13. Explanation 3 66
  14. Part 3 introduction 77
  15. Level 1 85
  16. Level 2 103
  17. Level 3 112
  18. Level 4 124
  19. Level 5 142
  20. Level 6 157
  21. Level 7 170
  22. Part 4 introduction 208
  23. Commentary 1 209
  24. Commentary 2 217
  25. Commentary 3 228
  26. Part 5 introduction 239
  27. Level 1 topic 241
  28. Level 2 topic 250
  29. Level 3 topic 257
  30. Level 4 topic 261
  31. Level 5 topic 267
  32. Level 6 topic 273
  33. Level 7 topic 283
  34. Conclusion 299
  35. References 310
  36. Index 361
Downloaded on 21.4.2026 from https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.7765/9781526163042.00021/html
Scroll to top button