ABSTRACT
The current study examines anonymity and the right to privacy and trust online. The researcher collected data through an online survey using Google Forms. The electronic version of the survey was sent to several groups of people: students, employees, and people of different ages. Evaluation and snowball sampling techniques were used to collect the data. The sample consisted of 140 people aged 18–50 in Poland. The obtained data were analyzed in order to examine how respondents defined the right to privacy on the internet and what were the main opportunities and concerns of stakeholders related to anonymity and privacy on the internet. Research has shown that users do not feel safe online, which reduces their trust in all information on the web. Strong privacy laws are essential to building and maintaining trust in the digital world. It is extremely important to ensure a balance between adequate protection of private life and support for the development of new technologies and innovation. However, the current state of legal regulations leaves a lot to be desired. Research has confirmed that there are general regulations on the right to privacy in the EU structures, as well as many non-binding documents directly related to artificial intelligence, which to some extent address the issue of the right to privacy but are not sufficient. User concerns also arise when determining who is responsible for a breach of a person’s privacy through an AI system. Further research requires an emphasis on political cooperation and rapid response to the changing reality and galloping development of artificial intelligence.
