8 The Role of Temporal Construal in Online Privacy Behaviors

Abstract

In today’s digital world, corporations and governments can afford to store ever increasing amounts of data about the identities and behaviors of digital actors. By extracting patterns and interpolating future intentions and risks, data owners create an informational asymmetry. When I search for a traditional Lasagna recipe, the search engine is already combining this query with thousands of other queries to project the risk of me getting certain diseases associated with eating fattening foods. Thanks to the search engine, I get to cook a tasty lasagna, but my identity is directly or indirectly, and mostly without my awareness, revealed to marketers, health insurance providers, employers, researchers, and whoever else may profit from my Lasagna bits and bites (cf. Pettypiece and Robertson 2014).

Appendix: Scenarios and Outcomes

Note: These materials were originally presented in German.

Scenario 1

A marketing company offers you 1000 dollars (euros) and free genetic testing in exchange for the rights to all your current and future medical records. They will have the right to resell or publish your data (anonymously or with information that could identify you, at their discretion).

• (a) Your medical data is combined with that of many others because of your decision of today. It is used to find a new cure for an unpleasant skin disease. You [have/don’t have] this disease. This consequence occurs [in 3 years/today] due to your decision [of today/3 years ago].

• (b) Your medical data is used to calculate the probability of certain diseases developing within your family. As a result, [you (but not your relatives)/some of your relatives (but not you)] see an increase of several hundred Euros a year in their health insurance premiums. This consequence occurs [in 3 years/today] due to your decision [of today/3 years ago].

Scenario 2

Your favourite retail store offers you a free loyalty card. You will save an estimated 10% on all store purchases you make when you present the card. To obtain the card, you are required to fill out a form with your name, address, and phone number, which may then be associated with a list of your purchases.

• (a) The retail store analyzes your data and you receive credit points for products you frequently purchase. As soon as you reach a certain point score, [you/members of your household (but not you)] receive a very attractive bonus. This consequence occurs [in 3 years/today] due to your decision [of today/3 years ago].

• (b) The retail store sells your data to your health insurance company. Your health insurance company analyzes your purchases, and concludes you have a sedentary lifestyle and an unhealthy diet. They raise [your insurance rates/the insurance rates of a member of your household]. This consequence occurs [in 3 years/today] due to your decision [of today/3 years ago].

Scenario 3

The police department in your city proposes to purchase and deploy a fleet of small, low-flying unmanned aircraft that will fly around the city collecting audio and visual data. They explain that they are able to use this data for purposes such as monitoring city infrastructure or detecting unlawful activity, and they do not plan to make it publicly available.

• (a) During a bad storm, the video helps emergency personnel pinpoint key areas that are flooding. Because of this, they are able to build barricades that successfully protect [you and your property/other people and their property]. This consequence occurs [in 3 years/today] due to your decision [of today/3 years ago].

• (b) The police department computers are hacked. The hackers post all audio and video online, including a recording of a very unpleasant fight [you had with your significant other/someone out of your area had with his significant other]. Many of [your/his] friends and family see the recording and [you feel/he feels] embarrassed. This consequence occurs [in 3 years/today] due to your decision [of today/3 years ago].

Scenario 4

In celebration of your birthday you organize a small party in a bar. The next morning after your successful birthday celebration you upload a picture of the party to a social networking website (e.g. Facebook). The picture shows you and a couple of your friends sitting in a bar, all of you appear slightly drunk.

• (a) Because of the uploaded picture a model agency recognizes [you/a friend of yours]. [You receive/Your friend receives] an invitation to be part of a photo shooting with the model agency. Because [you feel flattered you join/your friend feels flattered she joins] the photo shooting and [you are/she is] happy about [your/her first] job as a model. This consequence occurs [in 3 years/today] due to your decision [of today/3 years ago].

• (b) Your conservative boss discovers the picture on the Internet and takes [you/your friend] for an unreliable drunkard. Although he actually favoured [you/your friend] over your co-worker concerning an upcoming promotion he won’t promote [you/your friend]. This consequence occurs [in 3 years/today] due to your decision [of today/3 years ago].

Scenario 5

As you are searching the Internet for information, your preferred search engine requests you to agree to the newest privacy policy before you are allowed to further use their service. According to the brief information the search engine wants to permanently save all your search items and your location and to analyze which topics are of interest to you in order to make personalized recommendations.

• (a) The search engine is now able to make reliable predictions concerning the risk of a disease in your area. Thus [you/various users] obtain precise information in which case a flu vaccination pays off and in which it doesn’t. This consequence occurs [in 3 years/today] due to your decision [of today/3 years ago].

• (b) A hacker was able to get access to the data of the search engine. He leaks personal data (e.g. personal search items and topics people were searching for respectively) of various people using the search engine. [Your personal data is also being published/your personal data is not being published]. This consequence occurs [in 3 years/today] due to your decision [of today/3 years ago].

Evaluation of Outcomes

Assuming that you accepted the offer (Scenarios 1–2) or approved of the use of these aircraft (Scenario 3) or uploaded such a picture to the internet (Scenario 4) or accepted the privacy policy (Scenario 5) [today/3 years ago]. How do you evaluate following possible consequences of your decision if they would occur [in 3 years/today]?

This consequence is… (1 = maximally negative, 5 = partly positive/partly negative, 9 = maximally positive).

Likelihood Ratings

How likely would you be to accept the offer (Scenarios 1–2) or to approve of the use of these aircraft (Scenario 3) or to upload such a picture to the internet (Scenario 4) or to accept the privacy policy (Scenario 5)?

(1 = Not at all Likely, 2 = Slightly Likely, 3 = Moderately Likely, 4 = Very Likely, 5 = Extremely Likely)