Sandra Petronio
Professor; Senior Affiliate Faculty
Department of Communication Studies
Fairbanks Center for Medical Ethics, Clarian Health Partners
ude[dot]iupui[at]oinortep
Communication Privacy and Disclosure Management
Often, unpacking the sense of privacy management seems to be a difficult task. With the internet introducing endless examples of privacy breakdowns, it is often unclear whether privacy is still possible. Communication Privacy Management (CPM) theory and research shows that privacy is not dead, offering a way to more clearly understand the puzzle of privacy from a social-behavioral vantage point. Understanding how people make decisions to disclose or protect private information is guided by a very clear set of evidenced-based principles. The predictive nature of CPM allows us to recognize the behaviors people enact when granting or denying access to their information. CPM theory has guided over 4000 research investigations across and within contexts such as families, healthcare, social media, and organizations. In addition, researchers from 11 countries have conducted CPM-based research adding an important dimension to understanding privacy management. Overall, CPM theory and research identifies how people are able to sustain their ownership and control over their private information.