The role of privacyin the context of messenger appsfor users in Germany
Abstract: This thesis focusses on the role of privacy in the context of messenger apps. The aim is toexplore, how users of messenger apps in Germany understand privacy and consider it when usingmessenger apps. The thesis is guided by the theoretical background of privacy and surveillance,as data surveillance can be seen as a serious threat to privacy nowadays. To answer the overallresearch question, “What role do users in Germany attach to privacy in the context of messengerapps?”, a qualitative content analysis of 10 semi-structured interviews was conducted. Theinterviews were done over Skype with German users of messenger apps from different ages. Theanalysis revealed that to all respondents, privacy exists when sent content stays between senderand receiver without any third-party having access. When communicating over messenger apps,there is always the risk of unwanted disclosure by the chat partner. Therefore, one risk avoidingstrategy that could be noticed was not to send too personal content in the first instance. Besides,the respondents are aware of companies that use their data to make profit. Data access is kind ofaccepted as it functions as a trade-off to get the service for no costs. Furthermore, there existsconcerns about data surveillance from the government in the future. A substantial threat fromgovernmental surveillance was not expressed by the participants, current reasons for data accessby the government are perceived as mostly legitimate. The discussion of the findings led to theconclusion that this topic should still be taken into future research, as privacy norms shiftpermanently. Also, the analysis shows some societal implementations, e.g. there is the need forbetter access to information about privacy protection and the content of terms and conditions.
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