Personal data sharing acceptance for mobile application’s users
: health sector analysis

  • Jorge Santos Rocha (Student)

Student thesis: Master's Thesis

Abstract

Mobile applications have become essential to people’s daily lives, since nowadays they use mobile applications for many things other than just communicating. The use of mobile health applications has also increased. These apps have several benefits for both healthcare providers and patients. Companies that own mobile applications collect all types of personal information of their users. Geolocation is one of those data types. It is especially important for health mobile applications since it can help slow the spread of contagious diseases. When determining whether to disclose this kind of data, users must consider the benefits and risks of doing so. This study’s main goal is to discover which socio-demographic factors and perceived benefits and risks most strongly influence users’ willingness to share their geolocation data with mobile applications. It was concluded that the users’ generation, marital status, parenthood and employment status are the variables that impact the users’ willingness to share geolocation data with mobile apps. Being able to use the service provided by an app and having their data used for other purposes are the most frequent benefit and risk experiences by the users, respectively. Yet, it was also shown that certain risks and benefits are viewed differently by users based on their generation and gender. The following conclusions about other factors that influence the users’ willingness to share geolocation data with apps were also drawn: users are more likely to share that data periodically rather than continuously; if the data processing procedures are transparent and if data anonymity is granted, that willingness increases; some characteristics of the company that owns an app influences that willingness; rewards like donations to charity, discounts and virtual reward points have little impact on the users’ decision.
Date of Award10 Jul 2023
Original languageEnglish
Awarding Institution
  • Universidade Católica Portuguesa
SupervisorJorge Julião (Supervisor) & Maria Alice Moreira Trindade (Co-Supervisor)

Keywords

  • Personal data sharing
  • Mobile applications
  • Health sector
  • Perceived risks and benefits
  • Geolocation

Designation

  • Mestrado em Gestão

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