Privacy Pirates - The Key Role of User Diversity in V2X-Technology Teresa Brell ( ✉ ) , Ralf Philipsen, and Martina Ziefle Human Computer Interaction Center, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany {brell,philipsen,ziefle}@comm.rwth-aachen.de Abstract. Success of novel products and services depends on a profound under‐ standing and integration of the consumers wants and needs. Privacy is one major contributor that influences the acceptance, use, and efficiency of novel technolo‐ gies. To understand, if the usage-context of technologies shapes the privacy perception, we conducted an empirical user study with n = 157 participants and two different considered domains: First, internet usage as a generalized topic. Second, autonomous driving as a more specialized field of interest. One key finding of the presented study is that privacy perception depends on the specific usage-context of a technology. Furthermore, several user diversity factors, such as technical self-efficacy and gender were identified as significant and profound levers on privacy perception. Keywords: Autonomous driving · Privacy · User-Diversity 1 Acceptance of Novel Technological Development and Privacy Concerns in a Connected World The steadily increasing technological developments in the mobility sector are key factors in todays society. Promising research approaches such as Volvos Vision 2020 [20] aim for zero traffic accidents due to autonomous driving functions or smartening the infra‐ structure to secure traffic situations like the CSIC [6]. By implementing smart commu‐ nication systems into vehicles (V2X; Vehicle-to-everything), problems like the increasing number of traffic fatalities or heavy pollution are addressed. Currently, tech‐ nical issues are mainly focused in research, e.g. development of specialized network technology [18, 21], whereas an awareness that novel technology is not always capable being seamlessly integrated into customers’ and public perception should be raised. Out of a pragmatic perspective, it could be assumed that novel technologies naturally evoke concerns and criticism in the launching phase. Due to adjusting the technology, these concerns decrease over time. Also, persuasive marketing is in fact a powerful tool, that might solve or camouflage most of public concerns, even after the technological devices or products are already positioned in the market. Both assumptions seem to be not far-reaching enough, out of a social science perspective. Especially large-scale tech‐ nologies are critically viewed or at least ambivalently perceived by the public [13]. In contrast to technical artefacts (e.g. mobile devices), people have difficulties to © Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature 2018 V. G. Duffy (Ed.): DHM 2018, LNCS 10917, pp. 255–267, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-91397-1_22