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ATHENE Study shows: Visualizations help to better understand privacy statements
ATHENE researchers, in collaboration with ETH Zurich, have conducted a groundbreaking study on the visualization of privacy notices. The research was presented at the renowned IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy (S&P) and demonstrates significant improvements in user understanding through image-based communication approaches.
The empirical study involving 400 participants proves that visual metaphors and symbols can significantly improve understanding of complex data protection processes. In particular, the implementation of dynamic real-time feedback, which immediately visualizes the consequences of data protection decisions, led to demonstrably more conscious decision-making among the study participants. The researchers developed an innovative visualization concept that makes abstract data processing understandable through concrete imagery—for example, houses for secure data storage or boats for data flows. The results demonstrate that this approach counteracts widespread “privacy fatigue” and empowers Internet users to make more informed decisions about their digital privacy.
Detailed study results and methodological approaches are documented in the publication “Let's Get Visual – Testing Visual Analogies and Metaphors for Conveying Privacy Policies and Data Handling Information” and are available here: https://www.computer.org/csdl/proceedings-article/sp/2025/223600c117/26hiUJ8sD9S.
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