Privacy and vulnerable populations: A 20-year bibliometric analysis

Abstract

Background: In the context of rising digital inequality, concerns about how privacy impacts vulnerable populations have become increasingly relevant. However, privacy research continues to focus largely on technical, legal or policy issues, often failing to consider the perspectives of marginalised populations.
Objectives: This study explores how vulnerable populations have been represented in digital privacy research over the past two decades. It seeks to identify thematic trends, publication patterns and key contributors across scholarly outputs.
Method: A bibliometric analysis was conducted using data extracted from Scopus and Web of Science, yielding a combined dataset of 4760 articles published between 2005 and 2025. Bibliometrix (R package) was used to analyse publication trends, author productivity, geographical distribution of research, author and indexed keywords and the most relevant sources.
Results: Findings reveal that children, health-related populations and consumers dominate the discourse, while groups such as refugees, persons with disabilities, the elderly and racial or ethnic minorities are notably underrepresented.
Conclusion: Digital privacy research has evolved without sufficiently integrating the perspectives and needs of marginalised communities. These risks reinforce existing inequalities in the digital ecosystem.
Contribution: This study provides a bibliometric review to critically assess the visibility of vulnerable populations in digital privacy research. Notably, South Africa was the only African country to appear in the list of the top 20 most productive countries in this domain, ranking 18th overall. This limited representation of the African continent underscores the urgent need for research focusing on the privacy concerns of vulnerable groups in Africa.