Understanding the Network of Websites: How Can We Improve Digital Privacy?

Atiye Cansu Erol, PhD Candidate, The Wharton School

Abstract: This proposal requests research funding for development of two papers. The first one aims to investigate the online data network, in which personal information flows between websites, in order to analyze which privacy policy interventions would be most effective. The second study focuses on individual household’s internet browsing behavior and analyzes vulnerability of different socioeconomic groups to privacy violating data collection activities. Furthermore, by connecting usage behavior to the first analysis, it aims to provide insight about how subgroups would be affected by potential data privacy regulations.