소비자의 개인정보 침해가능성 관련 변수 및 영향 요인

Abstract

This study examines the factors associated with potential consequences of online privacy invasion. Specifically, the purposes of the study are 1) explore how consumers are at risk of information privacy invasion on-line and 2) to examine what factors are helpful in reducing personal information disclosure. The Internet survey was conducted and total of 1,016 consumers were included for statistical analysis. The descriptive statistics, One-way ANOVA, T-test, and Ordinary Lease Squares were employed using SPSS 12.0 program. The results showed that male consumers are more risky than female consumers and consumers in their forties and fifties are higher than younger consumers in terms of the potential consequences of privacy invasion. The longer hours of Internet use, frequent Internet purchase, and being male brought out higher potential consequences of privacy invasion. However, being married, privacy knowledge, and being forties or fifties increased the potential consequences of privacy invasion. The study concluded that government regulation and consumer education are needed for online privacy protection. Regulating online service providers and marketers would be more effective for mitigating potential consequences of privacy invasion. Targeting consumers who are at higher risk of privacy invasion such as middle aged consumers, education program could include privacy related knowledge and careful use of Internet. Furthermore, as adolescents grow, they might be at higher risk of privacy invasion. In this sense, consumer education should be designed so that teenagers can make right decisions to protect their online privacy.