This project studies how the Finnish internet users relate to privacy and anonymity on the net. The empirical analysis deals with the general conceptions on privacy and its social meaning and the actual practices that users have adopted concerning privacy in the net. Interviews with the key players in Finland and analysis of the topical international research are used to deepen the analysis. The goals of the project are following:
1) how the Finnish internet users define the meaning of privacy in principle?
2) how and why people are protecting their privacy in the net based communication?
3) how the users evaluate the protection of privacy and the threats on privacy particularly in the light of the freedom of expression?
The empirical material of the project comes from three different sources: (a) from analyzing the discussions on discussion forums and social media sites concerning privacy issues (b) interviews which study the opinions of the Finnish key players ( media companies, public authorities, experts on law etc.) about privacy and its threats. The essential empirical data of this study is (c) a quantitative and statistically valid survey targeted to all the Finnish internet users. The project is funded by the Helsingin Sanomat Foundation.
Link to the Privacy 2.0 blog.
Report on the results of the privacy survey (June 2015).
Conferences:
The Finnish Conference for Media Research, 4.-5.4. 2014, Vaasa
Abstract (in Finnish)
Esa’s presentation in Vaasa (in Finnish)
Privacy in the Big Data Era seminar, University of Tampere 13.11.2015
Esa Sirkkunen: Paradoxes of Privacy
Contacts:
esa.sirkkunen at uta.fi +358 3 355 16424, +358 407680 323
heikki.heikkila at uta.fi
paula.haara at uta.fi