Worried about digital footprint? Attitudes toward online behavioural advertising with the AdChoices icon

This study examined the efficacy of using the AdChoices icon, a symbol that indicates the use of online behavioural advertising (OBA) on websites. Despite the increased use of OBA for internet advertising, little is known as to its impact on user attitudes toward websites and advertisements that voluntarily display the icon. This study compared the effects of the icon in individuals with less favourable attitudes toward OBA in general to those in people holding more favourable attitudes toward OBA in general, in relation to their privacy concerns. For those with less favourable attitudes toward OBA, their attitudes toward the website displaying the icon increased significantly when the individual’s perceived privacy concern was high. Those with more favourable attitudes toward OBA did not show much change regardless of individual privacy concerns. However, such an interaction effect was not observed for the advertisements themselves on websites displaying the icon.