Foot-in-the-door Mechanisms for Increasing Information Disclosure Online
Xiaobing Wu, Tianshi Wu, Xitong Guo, and Hongze Yang
International Journal of Electronic Commerce,
Volume 30, Number 1, 2026, pp. 62-81.
Abstract:
The disclosure of users’ personal information during online platform sign-up is fraught with significant privacy and security risks. Drawing on the foot-in-the-door theory, this study examines two structural mechanisms in sign-up procedures—sequencing the information items in an ascending order of privacy intrusion and presenting the information items on multiple pages—that are hypothesized to increase users’ willingness to disclose private information. We tested these hypotheses through two field experiments: the first in collaboration with a FinTech company, and the second within a university alumni Facebook community. Results from both studies confirm that the proposed mechanisms significantly increase users’ disclosure behavior during sign-up. The contributions of this work are twofold: (1) advancing descriptive understanding of online information disclosure behavior, and (2) offering empirical evidence that helps reconcile normative and descriptive privacy theories as complementary rather than competing perspectives. Given that disclosure of personal information remains one of the most pressing online threats, this research offers practical insights into structural triggers that organizations may exploit in data solicitation.