Paper abstract: The exponential adoption of the Internet for transaction and interaction purposes continues unabated.
However, despite the obvious empowering benefits of the Internet, consumers concerns regarding the
ability of online vendors to collect and use information regarding them and their online interactions have
also increased. Vendors facing intense competition in the marketplace are under increasing pressure to
gain a more sophisticated understanding of their consumers and thus view the collection of consumers’
personal and interaction information as essential to achieving that understanding. Awareness of this fact
has accentuated consumers’ privacy concerns and in some cases impacted interaction intentions and
behaviour. Similarly, in the computer-mediated work environment, employees’ awareness that
communication-monitoring technologies are being used to monitor their email and Internet interactions
has increased. Despite the importance of this issue, research on technology-related privacy concerns
remains in an embryonic stage. Moreover, the literature indicates that much confusion surrounds the
construct and in many studies the construct is neither clearly defined nor operationalised. The aim of
this paper is therefore to reduce that confusion by providing a brief review of the literature while
outlining potential research avenues worthy of future research. This paper provides researchers with a
deeper insight and holistic understanding of the construct and consequently makes a valuable
contribution not only to information systems research but also to practitioners in their efforts to better
understand the factors that predict and inhibit technology-related privacy concerns.
