An Onto-Epistemological Critique of Information Privacy Research

31 Pages Posted: 13 Dec 2021 Last revised: 17 Sep 2023

See all articles by Heng Xu

Heng Xu

University of Florida

Nan Zhang

University of Florida - Department of Management

Date Written: January 27, 2021

Abstract

Privacy is one of the most urgent issues associated with the advancement of information technology. Yet, there is a growing concern that the issues surrounding privacy have been too complex to understand, with conflicting evidence on how well prevalent theories explain everyday people's privacy-related actions and decisions. As current theories leave a considerable part of privacy phenomena unexplained, it is conceivably difficult to devise behavioral interventions or policy measures that effect change in practice. In this commentary, we illustrate how a new onto-epistemological perspective -- drawing from Dreyfus' influential exegesis of the Heideggerian framework -- could bring about new research questions that complement the existing ones in making our theories more reflective of the richness of privacy phenomena in practice.

Keywords: information privacy; onto-epistemology; Heidegger; Dreyfus

Suggested Citation

Xu, Heng and Zhang, Nan, An Onto-Epistemological Critique of Information Privacy Research (January 27, 2021). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3938986 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3938986

Heng Xu (Contact Author)

University of Florida ( email )

PO Box 117165, 201 Stuzin Hall
Gainesville, FL 32610-0496
United States

Nan Zhang

University of Florida - Department of Management ( email )

United States

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