Revealing privacy needs during life’s significant transitions

People experience transitional events during their lives that are significant, disruptive, and potentially challenging to navigate. Emotions usually run high, and the central actor may seek personalized support from “others” who are often identified online. An increased online presence, however, can also exacerbate vulnerabilities, making it challenging for individuals to preserve their privacy. Privacy-Enhancing Technologies (PETs) can support people undergoing transitions to have more control over their online identity and related disclosures. Nevertheless, available tools of this kind do not explicitly cater to the needs of such populations, leading to low uptake. To inform the future development of bespoke PETs, we carried out a survey to understand the population characteristics and online behaviors of four transition groups: (1) leaving the Armed Forces; (2) Relationship Breakdown (Romantic); (3) Serious Illness (Cancer); and (4) LGBTQ+ (“coming out” or gender transition). Our findings suggest that bespoke PETs should engender resilience and a sense of control over what is shared online via the identification, creation, and maintenance of “safe spaces” in which network members are restricted to trusted others who are deemed supportive of the actor’s transition.