Understanding third-person perception about Internet privacy risks

This study aims to test the third-person effect (TPE) in the perception of Internet privacy risks. Support was found for a TPE model suggesting that users report greater perceived Internet privacy risks on others than on themselves, based on a sample ( N = 613) from Amazon MTurk. In particular, the differential perception of Internet privacy risks between self and others increased people’s willingness to recommend protective measures to others but decreased their willingness to adopt protective measures themselves. Moreover, social distance, perceived Internet privacy knowledge, negative online privacy experiences, and Internet use activities emerged as significant predictors of TPE perceptions about Internet privacy risks. Study findings indicated that third-person perception is one of the major barriers inhibiting the adoption of privacy protection measures. The antecedents of TPE perceptions detected here provide valuable implications about how to enable Internet users to protect their privacy security.