The Economics of Privacy - excellent resource page

meet Alessandro Acquisti - he is an Associate Professor of Information Technology and Public Policy at the Heinz College at Carnegie Mellon University. He is also a member of the CMU Usable Privacy and Security Laboratory, a member of CMU Privacy Technology Center, a member of CMU Cylab, and co-director of the CMU Center for Behavioral Decision Research (CBDR).

His blog and page provides links to resources on the economics of privacy, financial privacy, and the economics of anonymity: papers, people, related conferences, and other links.

"Behind a privacy intrusion there is often an economic trade-off. The reduction of the cost of storing and manipulating information has led organizations to capture increasing amounts of data about individual behavior. The hunger for customization and usability has led individuals to reveal more about themselves to other parties. New trade-offs have emerged in which privacy, economics, and technology are inextricably linked: individuals want to avoid the misuse of the information they pass along to others, but they also want to share enough information to achieve satisfactory interactions; organizations want to know more about the parties with which they interact, but they do not want to alienate them with policies deemed as intrusive.

Is there a combination of economic incentives and technological solutions to privacy issues that is acceptable for the individual and beneficial to society? Is there a sweet spot that satisfies the interests of all parties? The papers, people, and conferences listed below try to address some of these issues."