Internet Privacy in E-Commerce: Framework, Review, and Opportunities for Future Research

Abstract

Increased Internet traffic and the sophistication of companies in tracking that traffic have made privacy a critical issue in electronic commerce (e-commerce). This has spawned a number of research works addressing Internet privacy from the perspectives of three main stakeholders - customers, companies and governments, as well as the interactions among them. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the extant studies and develop an understanding of the relationships among them. Accordingly, we review the research on Internet privacy in e-commerce that has been conducted in the fields of information systems, business, and marketing. We develop a framework for classifying the studies, review key findings, and identify opportunities for future research.