Youth and online privacy: a cross-border study in the Basque Country Eneko Bidegain and Amaia Arroyo Sagasta Mondragon Unibertsitatea, Mondragon, Basque Country, Spain Koldo Diaz Bizkarguenaga Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea, Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain Aitor Zuberogoitia Department of Communication, Mondragon Unibertsitatea, Mondragon, Basque Country, Spain Eneko Ant on Mondragon Unibertsitatea, Mondragon, Basque Country, Spain and Nebrija University, Madrid, Spain, and Ixiar Rozas Mondragon Unibertsitatea, Mondragon, Basque Country, Spain Abstract Purpose – This study aims to explore the main concerns and attitudes Basque adolescents have regarding online privacy. It analyzes their motivations for sharing private information and the kind of information they share. Likewise, it examines whether they consider the potential consequences of revealing certain information online and analyzes if there are any differences between the motivations and attitudes of young people from Gipuzkoa and Labourd. Design/methodology/approach – For this study, three methods were combined to collect the data in 17 schools in the Basque provinces of Gipuzkoa and Labourd: a survey carried out among 1,133 students, out of which 242 also completed a diary and 482 took part in discussion groups. Findings – The data from this research does not fully support the “youth cultures of disclosure” (James, 2009) in the Basque Country; however, some of these practices have been observed. Originality/value – Time spent online by adolescents has increased sharply in recent years. This increase has brought with it concerns about youth’s level of awareness regarding online privacy. This is the first cross- border study conducted in the Basque Country addressing this topic (in the Basque Autonomous Community, administratively belonging to Spanish territory, and in the Northern Basque Country, administratively in French territory). Keywords Online privacy, Youth, Digital Behavior, Social networks, Information disclosure, Basque Country Paper type Research paper The authors are grateful to their colleague Julia Barnes for her suggestions, corrections and constructive criticism of this article. Fundings: This research could be carried out thanks to a grant of the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa. JICES 20,1 54 Received 22 June 2021 Revised 3 August 2021 Accepted 5 August 2021 Journal of Information, Communication and Ethics in Society Vol. 20 No. 1, 2022 pp. 54-71 © Emerald Publishing Limited 1477-996X DOI 10.1108/JICES-06-2021-0069 The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at: https://www.emerald.com/insight/1477-996X.htm