Beyond Privacy Calculus
Understanding Digital Contact Tracing Acceptance Through Surveillance Drift and Agency Theory
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21570908 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Félix Joly (0009-0006-2011-9457, HEC Montréal Montréal Québec Canada, corresponding author), Camille Grangé (0000-0001-9063-8048, HEC Montréal Montréal Québec Canada), Renaud Legoux (HEC Montréal Montréal Québec Canada) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 43 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Publication date | 2026-06-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences / Revue Canadienne des Sciences de l Administration (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0825-0383 • E-ISSN: 1936-4490 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1002/cjas.70056 |
| OpenAlex | W7140026372 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 58 |
Digital contact tracing (DCT) has emerged as a promising tool for controlling infectious disease outbreaks, yet its adoption has been hampered by widespread privacy concerns. Prior research studies mainly rely on privacy calculus theory. We extend this view by integrating agency theory to explain how delegating sensitive data to government authorities generates anticipatory concerns about misuse. Building upon the social risk concept introduced in earlier DCT studies, we theoretically refine and contextualize surveillance drift concern , defined as an anticipatory belief that personal data collected for legitimate and time‐limited public health purposes may be repurposed, prolonged, or expanded once the original emergency ends. We model this concern as a key mechanism linking privacy uncertainty and societal utility to DCT acceptance and examine how public health crisis‐induced anxiety moderates these effects. A scenario‐based experiment ( N = 315) supports our model. Our findings advance theoretical understanding of how DCT acceptance emerges under conditions of delegation, uncertainty and crisis governance, while offering actionable insights for designing and communicating trustworthy digital public health systems
Anonymity · Information privacy · Privacy by Design · Public health · Salient · COVID-19 Digital Contact Tracing · COVID-19 epidemiological studies · Data-Driven Disease Surveillance
Agency Theory
Quantifying Sars-CoV-2 transmission suggests epidemic control with digital contact tracing
Nature and Operation of Attitudes
The impact of transparency and trust on user acceptance of contact tracing apps
Exploring the competing influences of privacy concerns and positive beliefs on citizen acceptance of contact tracing mobile applications
A three-dimensional framework of perceiving privacy
Privacy concerns can explain unwillingness to download and use contact tracing apps when Covid-19 concerns are high
To disclose or not to disclose? Factors related to the willingness to disclose information to a Covid-19 tracing app
The role of affect and cognition on online consumers' decision to disclose personal information to unfamiliar online vendors
Health vs. privacy? The risk-risk tradeoff in using Covid-19 contact-tracing apps
Why do people want to use location-based application for emergency situations? The extension of UTAUT perspectives
Predictors of contact tracing app adoption
| Highly cited | No |
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