Personal information value from the user perspective

180 Pages·2017·5.5 MB·English

Master's Degree programme – Second Cycle
(D.M. 270/2004)

in Economia e Gestione delle Aziende – International Management

Final Thesis

Personal information value from the user
perspective: an empirical study on the
students of Ca’ Foscari

Supervisor
Ch. Prof. Massimo Warglien

Graduand
Marco Byloos
Matriculation Number 842130

Academic Year
2016 / 2017
I would like to thank my supervisor, for his wise advices during the creation of this document and for
holding the course on “Making decisions” that conflagrated my imagination and inspired me to do
my master degree thesis on this topic. Then, I would like to thank the over one thousand students of
the Ca’ Foscari University that took part in this survey, if this research has any merit, one thousandth
per participant is also yours and I want to share it with you!

Thank you to:

Marco B., Stela B., Luca P., Marco M., Myshi G., Ana T., Enrico C., Nicola B., Pierbarra, Omar R.,
Roberto P., Sam Haoliang H., Alessio B. Thuong N., Nicoló C., Alessia I., Lucrezia C., Benedetta B.,
Giulia Z., Michele S., Christian S., Riccardo P., Riccardo B., Alessia d. C., Virginia L., Alessandro
M., Naldy M., Silvia, Elisa C., Stefania M., Silvia, Hicham M., Antonietta S., Giada A., Beatrice F.,
Sara F., Marianna, Anna B., Federico D., Siderisgravehood, Riccardo d. A., Elisa G., Eda F., Elisa
M., Aleksandra G., Roberta G., Riccardo A., Alvise M., Veronica B., Eleonora d. R., Angela d. T.,
Thomas C., Quan P., Margherita R., Martina Z., Filippo L.P., Amos B., Silvia S., Riccardo C.,
Costanza S., Luna M.., Shahpara H., Chiara B., Laura M., Pier Alberto M., Giovanni O., William T.,
Michael B., Anna P., Marangoni G., Bianca V., Tania M., Martina C., Ilaria B., Francesca d. F.,
Emanuele B., Olga P., Michela, Veronica, Valentina M., Chiara M., Chiara S., Gaia, Tani, Arianna
B., Christian G., Linda P., Mattia B., Alberto F.., Tommaso F., Giorgia F., Nicoló P., Matteo, Daniela
M., Regina P., Sabrina d. P., Rossella Z., Clarissa P., Chiara, Giacomo C., Dawda J., Gianluca B.,
Sara Z., Elena d. M., Lorenzo C., Teresa Z., Federico B., Cecilia d. G., Paola R.B., Emma C., Maria,
Diletta C., Silvia G., Sebastiano A., Francesca, Luo F., Mattia T., Beatrice G., Luce, Alessandra V.,
Beatrice Z., Elisa P., Carol, Afnan, Vera L., Kuraishinju, Daniele, Giuliana, Chiara R., Elisabetta
Sofia P., Emilia R., Susan R., Martina B., Valentica C., Rita, Chiara M., Michelangelo S.,
Michelangelo M., Riccardo R., Francesca, Silvia C., Johnny Haze, Lucia T., Count of Oak, Spica,
Francesco R., Federico P., Marta B., Laura B., Arianna G., Lavinia S., Alessandro M., Lucia d. N.,
Max C., Miri L., Alessia B., Arianna, Alice, Mattia G., Michele B.C., Annalaura G., Nicola F., Andrea
R., Dario M.G., Martina S., Giacomo D., Diana B., Laura T., Laura F., Maria Teresa, Giorgia P.,
Serena V., BruceKetta, Firiel, Nicolo' G., LSP., Beatrice C., Emma R., Fundor333, EpicCiqui, Giulia
B., Giorgia, Lorenzo C., Mohamed A., Ilaria T., Raffaella M., Matteo M., Francesco M., Elena C.,
Gabriele C., Federica R., Enrico, Nicolo' S., Eva T., Stefano R., Anna P., Marco S., Giada P., Chiara,
Avril T., Berse, Elena C., Alessio M., Elena M., Eleonora C., Letizia, Alice, Francesca P., Giulia C.,
I
Fabbrizio F., Sandy, Marta N., Giada R., Sabrina, Fatima, Giulia B., Francesca R., Enrico A., Elisa
R., Filippo P., Ginevra, Stefania L., Chiara C., Luca N., Silvia, Paolo M., Matteo M., Giulia S., Ariana
E., Eleonora B., Mariana G., Alessio P., Marta T., Mirko, Margherita N., Alessandro B., Margherita
P., Veronica, lucyliu, Giada, Mattia, Merysolee, Kalpana M., Arianna C., Giulia, Riccardo d. R.,
Claudia, Amanda V., Giacomo, Sara, Stefano F., Yili, endi, Cristina P., Elena C., Gianmarco D.,
Adriana P., Priscilla, Fabio, NoraB, Giovanni P., Ludovico, Giacomo, Marta G and all the other
anonymous.

II
Abstract
The web offers the users a multitude of resources and services without charge and most of the income
necessary to run those platforms derives from the same users’ time, activities and the use of their
personal information. While the success of the companies behind those free online services relies on
the correct evaluation of their user value, the typical user seems to underestimate his/her bargaining
power. This research, based on the data gathered from over a thousand of students of the Ca’ Foscari
University, aims at gauging the estimation of the personal information online with two independent
variables and at finding the relations between the values given and their online experience
background.

III
Contents

Contents ............................................................................................................................................. IV
List of the tables ............................................................................................................................... VII
List of the figures ............................................................................................................................. VII
List of the (ordinary) linear regressions ............................................................................................. XI
List of abbreviations......................................................................................................................... XV
Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 1
1 Data as the currency of the 21st century ....................................................................................... 3
1.1 The dawn of free services online with the Web 2.0 .............................................................. 3
1.2 Once an amusing experiment, now the main hub of personal information ........................... 5
1.3 The value of personal information ........................................................................................ 8
2 Call to quantify the value of the personal information ............................................................... 11
2.1 The previous attempts to frame the phenomenon ............................................................... 11
2.2 The Ca’ Foscari University students as the target population ............................................. 13
2.3 The roadmap of the test ....................................................................................................... 13
2.3.1 The successful gathering of data and the 5 minute effortless survey mission ............. 13
2.3.2 The interviewing method ............................................................................................. 14
2.3.3 The processing of the obtained data set ....................................................................... 15
2.3.4 The search for meaningful correlations between the variables .................................... 15
3 The survey .................................................................................................................................. 17
3.1 Gauging the effects of time, how a long experience raises the awareness .......................... 17
3.1.1 Checking whether longer experiences are worth more than the new adventures ........ 17
3.1.2 Measuring the dependency of the online activities with the intensities of use ............ 18
3.2 Observing the effects of a wide social network offer .......................................................... 20
3.3 Monitoring the effects of different privacy management behaviors ................................... 21
3.3.1 Partitioning the identity revealers with the level of public participation ..................... 21
3.3.2 Probing the familiarity with the rules with the cognition of the terms of service ........ 22
IV
3.3.3 Assessing the tracking acceptance, knowledge and annoyance ................................... 23
3.4 Collecting the opinions about the free services revenue sources ........................................ 24
3.5 Collecting the value perceived of the personal information ................................................ 25
3.5.1 The maximum fee offer to retain the main social network functionality ..................... 25
3.5.2 A pay or leave option to check the estimations consistency ........................................ 25
3.6 The layout of the survey and the opportunity for additional data ....................................... 26
4 The survey results ....................................................................................................................... 27
4.1 The survey duration ............................................................................................................. 28
4.2 A general overview ............................................................................................................. 29
4.3 Focus on the acquaintance of the web ................................................................................. 36
4.3.1 The Year of access, the indirect measure for the total permanence on the Web ......... 36
4.3.2 The Year of 1st social, the birthday in the socializing side of the Web ....................... 37
4.3.3 The ratio between the years spent online with or without the social networks ........... 37
4.3.4 The Hours spent surfing and socializing, the intensities of the online activities ......... 39
4.3.5 The balance of the time-consuming activities online................................................... 40
4.4 Focus on: The distribution of the social network profiles ................................................... 41
4.4.1 The Socials used and the extraction of the Numbers of socials used .......................... 41
4.4.2 The social networks interoperability and ecosystems .................................................. 43
4.5 Focus on: The basic online privacy habits .......................................................................... 44
4.5.1 The Public participation and the choice to disclose the identity .................................. 44
4.5.2 The Terms of service cognition, assessing an implicit consensus ............................... 44
4.5.3 The Tracking acceptance between awareness and annoyance ..................................... 45
4.5.4 Choice patterns between the TOS cognition and the Tracking acceptance ................. 46
4.6 Focus on: The participants opinion about the free services income sources ....................... 48
4.6.1 Income opinions, the first place source is clear ........................................................... 48
4.6.2 A synthetic ranking for the remaining positions .......................................................... 49
4.7 Focus on: How much students value their major profile ..................................................... 51
4.7.1 The Maximum fee estimated to continue using the main social network .................... 51
V
4.7.2 The outcome of the Pay or leave option ...................................................................... 52
4.7.3 The coherence of the two estimation variables values ................................................. 53
4.8 The success of the optional fields........................................................................................ 57
4.9 Exit polls and visual analysis of the consistence of the results ........................................... 58
5 The analysis of the survey results ............................................................................................... 69
5.1 Effects of the two online permanences on the estimation variables .................................... 70
5.2 Effects of intensity of use over the estimation variables ..................................................... 80
5.3 The effects of a wide social network offer over the estimation variables ........................... 88
5.3.1 Focus on the Socials used ............................................................................................ 88
5.3.2 Focus on the Number of socials ................................................................................. 111
5.4 The effects of the Public participation over the estimation variables ............................... 119
5.5 The effects of cognition of the rules over the estimation variables ................................... 123
5.6 The effects of tracking acceptance over the estimation variables ..................................... 127
5.7 The effects of the income opinions over the estimation variables .................................... 131
5.8 The effects of open sourcing over the estimation variables .............................................. 135
5.9 Generalizing the estimation variables with the framing variables .................................... 147
Conclusions ...................................................................................................................................... 154
Appendices ....................................................................................................................................... 156
a) The survey ................................................................................................................................ 156
I) Introduction block ..................................................................................................................... 156
II) First block: Framing and first evaluation............................................................................. 156
III) Second block: Exposition to real estimates and coherency check ..................................... 157
IV) Third block: Extra data retrieval, further acknowledgement and thanksgiving ................. 158
b) The landing page layout ..................................................................................................... 160
References ........................................................................................................................................ 162
Software used ................................................................................................................................... 164

VI
List of the tables
Table 1 - Major Social networks in 2017 (in Italy), source: Statista ................................................... 7
Table 2 - Births and assimilations of the social networks.................................................................... 9
Table 3- Capitalization per user and earning per user of the social networks ................................... 10
Table 4 - Distribution matrix of the combinations of TOS cognition and Tracking acceptance ....... 46
Table 5 - Ranking of the income sources with a residual method ..................................................... 49
Table 7 - Ranking of the income with linear proportional weights ................................................... 50

List of the figures
Figure 1 - Distribution of the survey duration among the participants .............................................. 28
Figure 2 - Average, mode, median, max and min values for the Year of access and the Year of 1st social .... 29
Figure 3 - Average, mode and median of the Minutes spent surfing and socializing ........................ 30
Figure 4 - Distribution of the social networks used by the surveyed ................................................. 31
Figure 5 - Distribution of the Number of socials concurrently used by the surveyed ....................... 31
Figure 6 - Distribution of the Public participation habits of the participants .................................... 32
Figure 7 – Distribution of the reading habits and the level of TOSs cognition among the surveyed 32
Figure 8 - Distribution of the Tracking acceptance towards the cookies and similar devices ........... 32
Figure 9 – Distribution of the opinions about the main income source of the free services .............. 33
Figure 10 - Average, mode, median, max and min surveyed threshold to keep the main social functionality ... 34
Figure 11 – Distribution of the Pay or leave option outcomes .......................................................... 34
Figure 12 - Distribution of the Extra data left by the surveyed ......................................................... 35
Figure 13 - Distribution on the Year of access to the web among the surveyed ............................... 36
Figure 14 - Distribution on the Year of the 1st social network experience ....................................... 37
Figure 15 - Distribution of the total years spent online ..................................................................... 37
Figure 16 - Distribution of the years spent online on the social networks......................................... 38
Figure 17 - Distribution of the ratio between the years spent with socials over the total years spent online . 38
Figure 18 - Distribution of the Hours spent surfing online ................................................................ 39
Figure 19 - Distribution of the Hours spent socializing on the social networks ................................ 39
Figure 20 - Distribution of the balance of the activities done online ................................................. 40
Figure 21 - Distribution of the Social networks used by the surveyed divided in the four categories ....... 42
Figure 22 - Distribution of the Number of social networks used by each student. ............................ 42
Figure 23 - Number of social accounts per category ......................................................................... 43
Figure 24 – Analysis of the popularity of the three major social network ecosystem ....................... 43
Figure 25 – Distribution of the grade of Public participation among the surveyed ........................... 44
VII
Figure 26 – Distribution of the level of TOSs cognition and the reading habits among the surveyed ...... 45
Figure 27 - Reactions towards the tracking nature of the modern Web 2.0 ...................................... 46
Figure 28 - Distribution of the Tracking acceptance answers for each alternative of the TOS cognition .. 47
Figure 29 - Distribution of the TOS cognition answers for each answer of the Tracking acceptance ....... 47
Figure 30 - Distribution of the main source of income opinions ....................................................... 48
Figure 31 - Distribution of the Income opinion rankings for the four alternatives ............................ 49
Figure 32 - Full spectrum of the maximum fee estimated by the surveyed. ...................................... 51
Figure 33 - Distribution of the ranges of the maximum fee offered to retain the main social account ..... 52
Figure 34 – Distribution of the outcome of the Pay or leave option .................................................. 53
Figure 35 - Correlation between the Pay or leave option outcome and the Maximum fee estimated54
Figure 36 - Correlation between the Pay or leave outcome and the Maximum fee ranges ............... 55
Figure 37 - Correlation between the Maximum fee ranges and the Pay or leave outcome ............... 55
Figure 38 – Distribution of the combinations of data of the Extra data variable ............................... 57
Figure 39 - Exit polls of the Year of access variable ......................................................................... 58
Figure 40 - Visualization of the convergence for the Year of access variable .................................. 59
Figure 41 - Exit polls of the Year of the 1st social variable .............................................................. 59
Figure 42 - Visualization of the convergence for the Year of 1st social variable .............................. 60
Figure 43 - Exit polls of the Hours spent surfing variable ................................................................. 60
Figure 44 - Visualization of the convergence for the Hours spent surfing variable .......................... 60
Figure 45 - Exit polls of the Hours spent socializing variable ........................................................... 61
Figure 46 - Visualization of the convergence for the Hours spent socializing variable .................... 61
Figure 47 - Exit polls of the Socials used variable ............................................................................ 61
Figure 48 - Visualization of the convergence for the Socials used variable ...................................... 62
Figure 49 - Exit polls of the Number of socials variable ................................................................... 62
Figure 50 - Visualization of the convergence for the Number of socials variable ............................ 63
Figure 51 - Exit polls of the Public participation variable ................................................................. 63
Figure 52 - Visualization of the convergence for the Public participation variable .......................... 63
Figure 53 - Exit polls of the TOS cognition variable ......................................................................... 64
Figure 54 - Visualization of the convergence for the TOS cognition variable .................................. 64
Figure 55 - Exit polls of the Tracking acceptance variable ............................................................... 64
Figure 56 - Visualization of the convergence for the Tracking acceptance variable ......................... 65
Figure 57 - Exit polls of the Income opinion variable ....................................................................... 65
Figure 58 - Visualization of the convergence for the Income opinion (Targeted advertising ranking) variable ..... 65
Figure 59 - Exit polls of the Maximum fee estimation ranges variable ............................................. 66
VIII
Figure 60 - Visualization of the convergence for the Maximum fee estimation variable ................. 66
Figure 61 - Exit polls of the Pay or leave option variable ................................................................. 66
Figure 62 - Visualization of the convergence for the Pay or leave option outcome variable ............ 67
Figure 63 - Exit polls of the Extra data variable ................................................................................ 67
Figure 64 - Visualization of the convergence for the Extra data variable ......................................... 67
Figure 65 - Correlations between the Year of access online and the Maximum fee estimated ......... 70
Figure 66 - Correlations between the Year of 1st social and the Maximum fee estimated ............... 70
Figure 67 - Correlations between the Year of access online and the Maximum fee ranges .............. 71
Figure 68 - Correlations between the Year of 1st social and the Maximum fee ranges .................... 72
Figure 69 - Correlations between the Year of access online and the outcome of the Pay or leave option .... 73
Figure 70 - Correlations between the Year of 1st social and the outcome of the Pay or leave option ....... 74
Figure 71 - Distribution of the Year of access influence over the Maximum fee estimations .......... 75
Figure 72 - Distribution of the coefficient of the Year of access influence over the Pay or leave outcomes ... 75
Figure 73 - Distribution of the Year of access influence over the User average evaluations ............ 76
Figure 74 - Distribution of the Year of 1st social influence over the Maximum fee estimations ...... 77
Figure 75 - Distribution of the Year of 1st social influence over the Pay or leave outcomes ........... 77
Figure 76 - Distribution of the Year of 1st social influence over the User average evaluations ....... 78
Figure 77 - The influence of the Year of access variable on the two estimation variables ............... 79
Figure 78 - The influence of the Year of 1st social variable on the two estimation variables ........... 79
Figure 79 - Correlation between the Hours spent surfing and the Max fee estimated ....................... 80
Figure 80 - Correlation between the Hours spent socializing and the Max fee estimated ................. 80
Figure 81 - Correlation between the Hours spent surfing and the Maximum fee ranges .................. 81
Figure 82 - Correlations between the Hours spent socializing and the Maximum fee ranges ........... 81
Figure 83 - Correlation between the Hours spent surfing and the Pay or leave outcome .................. 82
Figure 84 - Correlation between the Hours spent socializing and the Pay or leave outcome ............ 82
Figure 85 - Distribution of the Hours spent surfing influence over the Max fee estimations ........... 83
Figure 86 - Distribution of the Hours spent surfing influence over the Pay or leave outcomes ........ 83
Figure 87 - Distribution of the Hours spent surfing influence over the User average evaluations .... 84
Figure 88 - Distribution of the Hours spent socializing influence over the Max fee estimations ..... 85
Figure 89 - Distribution of the Hours spent socializing influence over the Pay or leave outcomes .. 85
Figure 90 - Distribution of the Hours spent socializing influence over the User average evaluations ...... 86
Figure 91 - The influence of the Hours spent surfing variable on the two estimation variables ....... 87
Figure 92 - The influence of the Hours spent socializing variable on the two estimation variables . 87
Figure 93 - Correlation between the Socials used and the Maximum fee estimations ...................... 88
IX