Perceived personal and societal data harms shape users' data control preferences

Emilija Gagrčin, Roland Toth, Nadja Schaetz, Teresa Naab and Martin Emmer

Internet Policy Review: Journal on Internet Regulation, 2026, vol. 15, issue 1, 1-26

Abstract: Platformisation and the growing adoption of AI-driven systems have intensified pervasive data extraction and appropriation that bring distinct harms for both individuals and societies at large. Yet, little is known about how distinct harm perceptions shape citizens' preferences for different control mechanisms. Based on survey data from six EU countries (N=2,889), we examine differences in perceptions of personal vs. societal harm and their implications for individual control preferences and support for regulation. We find a surprising inverse relationship between perceived personal harm and desire for individual control: when citizens' perceive greater personal harm, they become less inclined to seek individual data control, suggesting privacy resignation. Conversely, perceived societal harm positively relates to both individual and regulatory control preferences, underscoring citizens' view of these mechanisms as complementary, particularly when they perceive harms to democracy. For policymakers, the findings suggest that regulators should treat both dimensions as related but distinct inputs when designing interventions and address the conditions that generate both individual and collective harms. Specifically, regulatory frameworks with an overreliance on individual control mechanisms (like consent requirements) may be insufficient or even counterproductive when citizens already perceive data harms.

Keywords: Datafication; Societal harms; Young people; Privacy resignation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:zbw:iprjir:336200

DOI: 10.14763/2026.1.2060

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