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Beyond Trust: Privacy Governance, Perceived Control, and Moral Appraisals in EU E-Commerce

Journal of Logistics, Informatics and Service Science | 2026

Paper Details

Authors: Khrais L.T.

DOI: 10.33168/JLISS.2026.0407

Journal: Journal of Logistics, Informatics and Service Science

Year: 2026

Publisher: Success Culture Press

Document Type: Article

Open Access: All Open Access; Gold Open Access

Cited by: 0

Abstract

In this study, the role of e-commerce privacy and security cues in terms of providing indications of service governance, influencing behavioral intentions through trust, perceived control, fairness–dignity, and perceived risk, is investigated. A total of 723 consumers were surveyed in five GDPR-regulated countries in Europe: Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, and Slovenia. The results of the study showed that privacy and security cues are positively linked to purchase intention and loyalty, as well as negatively linked to avoidance. These relationships are largely mediated by three internal evaluation mechanisms: online trust, perceived control, and fairness-dignity. Importantly, the study showed that fairness-dignity is as powerful as the utilitarian mechanisms, suggesting that consumers view privacy governance as a moral as well as a technical problem. Perceived risk remains a powerful countervailing factor, suggesting a lingering level of consumer suspicion even with harmonized regulation. Further, the study showed that there are cross-national differences that highlight the maturity of institutions as well as the sensitivity to uncertainty as influencing the relationships between privacy-security cues, trust, and avoidance. © 2026, Success Culture Press. All rights reserved.

Keywords

control; dignity; ecommerce; fairness; GDPR; governance; privacy; risk; security; trust