A comprehensive measurement framework for information privacy concerns in online contextsBartol, Jošt (Avtor) Vehovar, Vasja (Mentor) Petrovčič, Andraž (Komentor) data privacyfocus groupinternetliterature reviewmeasurementsurveystaxonomyCOSMIN methodologyelectronic commerceprivacyinternet usageonline social networksdissertationsInternet technologies have considerable implications for the perception and protection of information privacy, and users are often concerned about the potential misuse of their data. While significant focus has been put on individuals’ information privacy concerns (IPCs) and how they relate to individuals’ behaviour, a clear and unified conceptual and measurement approach to this important concept is still missing. This can lead to inconsistent empirical findings and limit advancement of the research field. This dissertation addresses this knowledge gap by building on the distinction between vertical and horizontal privacy. The former describes privacy relationships between individuals and institutions, the latter privacy relationships among individuals. Given the contextual dependency of privacy, this distinction improves the completeness of IPCs research while ensuring its comparability across studied contexts. To develop a comprehensive measurement framework for IPCs in online environments, the study proceeded in four sequential and interrelated steps: (1) the development of a conceptual typology of contexts based on actors with access to individuals and their information; (2) a systematic literature review of survey scales measuring IPCs on social network sites; (3) an in-depth qualitative analysis of internet users’ understanding of vertical and horizontal IPCs; and (4) a quantitative survey study testing the validity of scales measuring vertical and horizontal IPCs and examining their associations with individuals’ willingness to share personal information in three distinct online contexts (i.e., e-commerce, social network sites, and instant messaging). These activities provide a validated conceptual typology of contexts, an overview and evaluation of survey scales for measuring IPCs, a revised definition of IPCs, and a set of validated scales for measuring vertical and horizontal IPCs. The original findings of this dissertation thus represent a significant methodological and substantive contribution to the field of information privacy in online environments.J. Bartol20252026-01-19 13:20:14Doktorsko delo/naloga178128sl