Analysing the Influence of Loss-Gain Framing on Data Disclosure Behaviour: A Study on the Use Case of App Permission Requests

This paper examines the effect of the dark pattern strategy "loss-gain framing"on users' data disclosure behaviour in mobile settings. Understanding whether framing influences users' willingness to disclose personal information is important to (i) determine if and how this technique can subvert consent and other privacy decisions, (ii) prevent abuse with appropriate policies and sanctions, and (iii) provide clear evidence-based guidelines for app privacy engineering. We conducted an online user study (N=848), in which we varied the framing of app permission requests (i.e., positive, negative, or neutral framing) and examined its impact on participants' willingness to accept the permission, their evaluation of the trustworthiness of the request and their perception of being informed by it. Our findings reveal effects on disclosure behaviour for request types that users cannot easily understand. In this case, negative framing makes users more likely to disclose personal information. Contrary to our expectations, positive framing reduces disclosure rates, possibly because it raises users' suspicion. We discuss implications for the design of interfaces that aim to facilitate informed, privacy-enhancing decision-making.