<Li> Boundary permeability refers to the nature of the invisible divisions that keep private information from being known outside of an individual or particular group . When private information is kept with one owner, the boundaries are said to be thick because there is less possibility for information to make its way out into the public sphere . Once information is shared to one or more persons, the boundaries for that private information expand, become more permeable, and are considered thin . </Li> <Li> Boundary linkage has to do with how owners are connected when they build associations through a boundary . For example, doctors and patients are linked to each other in such a way that private information is passed within their boundaries constantly . These linkages can be strong or weak depending on how information was shared or whether a co-owner wanted to know or was prepared to learn a new piece of information . Case in point, the link between an organization and a spy meant to infiltrate the organization is weak because the two are not coordinated on how information will be maintained private or disclosed . </Li> <Li> Boundary ownership refers to the responsibilities and rights each person has over the control of the spread of information that they own . When working to mutually create the boundary of privacy it is key for all parties to have a clear understanding of whether information should be shared, who it should be shared with, and when it should be shared . A simple example of this is the planning of a surprise birthday party; all those involved in planning must agree on how the information about the party will be spread so as not to ruin the surprise . As new guests are invited, they become an owner of the information and are bound to the rules of privacy maintenance, or else the surprise could be ruined . </Li> <P> Often, boundaries are not coordinated as well as they should be to maintain the level of privacy or exposure desired by owners--this leads to problems known as boundary turbulence . The coordination of shared boundaries is key to avoiding over-sharing . When the boundaries are unclear, owners may come into conflict with one another . Turbulence among co-owners is caused when rules are not mutually understood by co-owners and when the management of private information comes into conflict with the expectations each owner had, which can happen for a number of reasons . </P>

The earlier studies of communication privacy management (cpm) theory looked at