Psychology of Privacy Boutique | Call for Papers

The Society for Consumer Psychology (SCP) will host a boutique conference on The Psychology of Privacy on October 22–23, 2026, in Seattle, Washington. This conference brings together leading academic scholars and industry practitioners to advance understanding of the consumer psychology of privacy.

Privacy is foundational to how today’s companies design and deliver products and services. While policy and technical experts have shaped much of the current conversation, marketers, designers, and strategists continue to face a central challenge: how to communicate about privacy in ways that resonate with people.

This conference will convene Sensemakers (scholars) and Changemakers (industry practitioners) to better understand the human experience of privacy. Together, we aim to move beyond myths and surface-level debates to accelerate both privacy scholarship and privacy stewardship.

Conference Theme

This year’s theme, “Where Sensemakers Meet Changemakers,” emphasizes the need to bridge theory and practice in privacy research. Privacy is not only a regulatory or technical issue—it is deeply tied to identity, autonomy, relationships, and human flourishing.

Despite its importance, privacy remains underexplored across many areas of psychology and related disciplines. This conference seeks to advance a more human-centered understanding of privacy by examining:

• The psychological processes underlying privacy decision-making
• The role of privacy in identity, well-being, and relationships
• Cross-cultural variation in privacy attitudes and behaviors
• The “privacy paradox” and behavioral inconsistencies
• The design and communication of privacy in real-world contexts
• The intersection of privacy with trust, control, and autonomy
• The role of privacy in emerging technologies, AI, and digital ecosystems

We especially encourage work that connects theoretical insight with practical application, helping organizations better design, communicate, and steward privacy in real-world settings.

Seeking Sensemakers (Academic Scholars & Students)

We seek contributions that provide original research insights into the consumer psychology of privacy. Submissions may:

• Explore why privacy matters for human flourishing, identity, and development
• Examine psychological mechanisms behind privacy decisions and behaviors
• Investigate cross-cultural differences in privacy needs
• Extend theory in psychology, marketing, economics, or related fields

Work that connects research to applied settings is especially encouraged, though forward-looking applications are also welcome. Submissions should be oriented toward a broad, interdisciplinary audience, rather than a narrow journal-review context.

Seeking Changemakers (Industry Practitioners)

We invite practitioners working in areas such as product design, user experience, marketing, brand strategy, and policy. Contributions may:

• Share real-world examples of designing privacy-related experiences
• Highlight challenges in communicating privacy to users
• Explore tensions such as the privacy paradox or trade-offs in design
• Examine the ROI of privacy stewardship (e.g., brand equity, trust, revenue)
• Offer forward-looking perspectives on privacy, AI, and digital ecosystems

Practitioner contributions are especially valuable when they surface real contexts, constraints, and unanswered questions that can inform academic research.

Conference Format

The conference will be a two-day, in-person, dual-track event designed for approximately 135 attendees.

Programming will include:

• Keynote presentations
• Academic (Sensemaker) talks
• Industry (Changemaker) talks
• Joint sessions on focused topics
• Roundtable discussions (including “privacy mythbusters”)
• Interactive design sessions (e.g., UI/privacy communication redesign)
• Poster sessions and networking mixers

The format is intentionally designed to foster interaction, collaboration, and translation between research and practice.

Submission Instructions

Submission Deadline

All proposals are due by July 1, 2026.

Submission Link

Submit proposals via:
https://forms.office.com/r/gKk7jn1Luz

Submission Types

We welcome proposals for:

• Talks (academic or practitioner)
• Joint sessions (Sensemakers + Changemakers)
• Roundtables
• Poster presentations

Submissions should clearly articulate the contribution, relevance to the conference theme, and, where applicable, implications for both research and practice.