Authors - Tajamul Islam, Ruby Chanda Abstract - The present study explores the online privacy concerns of young Indian consumers. Using the segmentation approach popularized by Dr Alan Wes-tin in the U.S., this study identifies the segments within Indian youth. This study is based on a survey conducted on a sample of Indian university students. Hierarchical and non-hierarchical cluster analysis techniques were applied to identify segments within young Indian consumers based on their privacy concerns. The study identified three consumer segments: highly concerned, moderately concerned, and less concerned based on online privacy concerns. The findings also reveal important differences among the three segments in terms of out-come variables such as perceived effectiveness of legal/regulatory policy, fabricating personal information, and software usage for protection. The results indicate an overall increased level of concern for online privacy among young Indian consumers. The results suggest similarities and dissimilarities with Westin’s approach. While previous research on online privacy has been chiefly based on the Western context, this study offers a window to look at the Eastern context by examining the privacy concerns of young Indian consumers, who have not been studied, and hence provides an important contribution to the existing literature.
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