Beliefs on shadow profiling on support for government intervention (Pilot)

This study explores the causal relationship between individuals' beliefs about shadow profiling—an online platform's ability to collect data without explicit consent—and their support for government-led data privacy initiatives. Information in shadow profiles can be collected both from active users, who did not provide the information, and from non-users, who do not use the service. In this study, I will collect data from a sample of U.S. adults using an online information provision experiment. Initially, I will elicit participants' beliefs about the online data collection practices of online platforms, with a focus on shadow profiling. Based on the study by Aguiar et al. (2022), half of the participants will then be provided with detailed information about the potential ability of online services to create shadow profiles, while the other half, serving as the control group, will not receive this information. Aguiar et al. (2022) examine the ability of online platforms to accumulate data about internet users without obtaining their permission, thereby specifically focusing on Facebook. Their findings suggest that Facebook is able to track about 40% of internet browsing activities. The overlap in browsing behavior between users and non-users potentially enables the platform to make accurate predictions of personal information, which can then be monetized for advertising purposes. While the study by Aguiar et al. (2022) primarily focuses on Facebook, the concepts and methods of shadow profiling are applicable to any online platform that utilizes similar data collection tools and techniques. After participants have been exposed to this evidence, I will assess all respondents' support for different government interventions aimed at mitigating the ability of online platforms to build shadow profiles.

Aguiar, L., Peukert, C., Schäfer, M., & Ullrich, H. (2022). Facebook shadow profiles. arXiv preprint arXiv:2202.04131.