Towards an Information Privacy Competency Model for the Usage of Mobile Applications

In a world where the industry of mobile applications (apps) is continuously expanding, the need for reinforcing users’ protection of information privacy is urgent. Focusing on this emerging need, this study aims at highlighting the main competencies that a user of mobile apps should hold in order to protect their information privacy. The contribution of the paper is threefold; First, it proposes a framework which describes the actions that users of mobile applications make before and after the installation of the application. Second, based on conceptual analysis, this study introduces a framework for the synthesis of the Information Privacy Competency Model for Users of Mobile Apps incorporating widely known personality theories namely Protection Motivation Theory and Big Personality Theory. Finally, synthesizes the results into indicative competencies that users of mobile apps should hold so as to be competent to protect their information privacy. This study offers important implications regarding privacy protection in mobile apps not only for users, but also for privacy researchers, online service providers and educators.