Dynamic Privacy Choices

Abstract: I study a dynamic model of consumer privacy and platform data collection. In each period, consumers choose their level of platform activity. Greater activity generates more precise information about the consumer, thereby increasing platform profits. Although consumers value privacy, a platform is able to collect much information by gradually lowering the level of privacy protection. In the long-run, consumers become "addicted" to the platform, whereby they lose privacy and receive low payoffs, but continue to choose high activity levels. Competition is unhelpful because consumers have a higher incentive to use a platform to which they have lower privacy.