SITUATIONAL PRIVACY CONCERNS AND ANTECEDENT FACTORS

This study examines the factors that contribute to context-based, or situational, privacy concerns drawing upon the theoretic lens of attribution theory. We posit that situational privacy concerns develop through individuals' causal explanations of prior privacy incidents in addition to their trait-like, or dispositional, privacy concerns. Analysis of data from 156 participants confirms the significance of the relationships between a number of antecedent constructs and situational privacy concerns. The hypotheses developed to test these relationships were all supported through partial least squares, as were the psychometric properties of the scales used. The results further our understanding of context-based privacy concerns, particularly the mechanics of attribution in blaming, and holding online service providers responsible for privacy transgressions. Insights into situational privacy concerns help online service providers handle and ameliorate these concerns.