Money Walks: A Human-Centric Study on the Economics of Personal Mobile Data

TL;DR

This study explores how users value their mobile personal data through a 6-week experiment, revealing location data as most sensitive and highlighting factors influencing valuation and implications for data markets.

Contribution

It provides the first human-centric valuation of mobile PII across multiple categories and complexities using a novel auction mechanism in a real-world setting.

Findings

Location data is most valued and sensitive.

User behavior and dispositions influence valuation.

Significant associations between usage patterns and bidding behavior.

Abstract

In the context of a myriad of mobile apps which collect personally identifiable information (PII) and a prospective market place of personal data, we investigate a user-centric monetary valuation of mobile PII. During a 6-week long user study in a living lab deployment with 60 participants, we collected their daily valuations of 4 categories of mobile PII (communication, e.g. phonecalls made/received, applications, e.g. time spent on different apps, location and media, photos taken) at three levels of complexity (individual data points, aggregated statistics and processed, i.e. meaningful interpretations of the data). In order to obtain honest valuations, we employ a reverse second price auction mechanism. Our findings show that the most sensitive and valued category of personal information is location. We report statistically significant associations between actual mobile usage, personal dispositions, and bidding behavior. Finally, we outline key implications for the design of mobile services and future markets of personal data.