Balancing act: Europeans' privacy calculus and security concerns in online CSAM detection.

Area of Science:

• Social Sciences
• Criminology
• Digital Sociology

Background:

• Online child sexual abuse material (CSAM) detection presents complex privacy challenges.
• Understanding privacy calculus is crucial for effective policy development in digital safety.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the factors influencing privacy calculus in CSAM detection across Europe.
• To analyze the interplay between individual agency and institutional frameworks in shaping privacy attitudes.

Main Methods:

• Utilized Flash Eurobarometer 532 data for a cross-European analysis.
• Employed multinomial regression for individual-level analysis and country-level analysis.
• Incorporated the Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) and Augmented Human Development Index (AHDI).

Main Results:

• Younger individuals exhibit greater privacy prioritization.
• Nations in Central and Eastern Europe demonstrate heightened privacy concerns.
• Life expectancy is the strongest country-level predictor, negatively associated with privacy concerns.

Conclusions:

• Both individual characteristics and national contexts significantly shape privacy calculus in CSAM detection.
• Findings highlight the need for nuanced policy approaches to online child protection.
• The study advances understanding of privacy in high-stakes digital environments.