Ask this from the person who has private stuff”: Privacy Perceptions, Behaviours and Beliefs Beyond W.E.I.R.D

We explore privacy perceptions, beliefs, and practices of low-literate, low-income users in Pakistan, a patriarchal and religious context with a literacy rate of approx. 68% and where 59% of mobile users have less than 6 years of formal education. Through a qualitative study with 40 participants (17 male and 23 female), we examine the cultural, religious, and familial structures that impact users’ perceptions, management, and control of their personal privacy. We reveal significant gendered differences in privacy understandings, privacy-preserving practices, and access to privacy-related knowledge. Our work also highlights the seminal impact religious beliefs have on men and women’s understandings and management of privacy and the prolific use of after-market modified apps to support users’ specific privacy needs. The privacy concerns raised by our participants provide HCI researchers with valuable insights into designing privacy affordances for vulnerable and diverse populations beyond Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic contexts.