Fairness and flexibility: consumer expectations for a more responsive personal data system

In particular, there is little attention given to how concepts such as trust, concern, privacy, value and control in personal data are interpreted by consumers. This has led to various stakeholders applying these key terms in ways that may not align with consumers’ interpretation.

This lack of clarity on definitions makes it difficult to both develop sensible policy directions, or to assess the success or value of various interventions. The purpose of this research was to understand what meaning consumers assign to key concepts and principles used in digital and personal data debates, and how these could be translated into practical steps to better meet their expectations and needs in the digital world.