https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444816642210 new media & society 2017, Vol. 19(9) 1476–1497 © The Author(s) 2016 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/1461444816642210 journals.sagepub.com/home/nms Privacy protection and self- disclosure across societies: A study of global Twitter users Hai Liang The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Fei Shen City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong King-wa Fu The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Abstract Privacy is a culturally specific phenomenon. As social media platforms are going global, questions concerning privacy practices in a cross-cultural context become increasingly important. The purpose of this study is to examine cultural variations of privacy settings and self-disclosure of geolocation on Twitter. We randomly selected 3.3 million Twitter accounts from more than 100 societies. Results revealed considerable cultural and societal differences. Privacy setting in collectivistic societies was more effective in encouraging self-disclosure; whereas it appeared to be less important for users in individualistic societies. Internet penetration was also a significant factor in predicting both the adoption of privacy setting and geolocation self-disclosure. However, we did not find any direct relationships between cultural values and self-disclosure. Keywords Boundary regulation, cross-cultural comparison, geolocation, privacy protection, self-disclosure, Twitter Corresponding author: Hai Liang, Journalism and Media Studies Centre, The University of Hong Kong, Room 114, Eliot Hall, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong. Email: rainfireliang@gmail.com 642210NMS 0 0 10.1177/1461444816642210new media & societyLiang et al. research-article 2016 Article