Privacy and Personalization Perceptions of the Indian Demographic with respect to Online Searches

Most internet users' browsing starts with a query submit on a web search engine. Search engine usage has become so extensive that it seems like second nature in today's online world. Customized search results enhance user experience but they bring up the eternal debate of privacy vs. personalization into focus. Users are usually unaware of the implications of disclosing sensitive personal information during their web searches. Those who are aware may take measures to protect their privacy. We argue and hypothesize that in spite of the technological advancement and increased internet usage, an average Indian consumer is less likely to be aware of the privacy and personalization implications of web searches. We also argue that an educated consumer, armed with awareness will change his privacy and personalization perceptions with respect to web searches. The results of a study conducted with 660 participants render support to most of the proposed hypotheses. Results indicate that while there are a very low percentage of Indian consumers who are Fully Privacy Aware (11%), there exist a moderate number of consumers who are Fully Customization/Personalization Aware (55%). Percentage of consumers who dislike being tracked online is 37% and consumers who took some action to protect their online privacy during web searches were 25%. Also, of the 102 participants who were part of group discussions, 56% of them changed their privacy and personalization perceptions slightly or significantly after their increased awareness about this tradeoff in online searches.