A growing number of business models are based on the collection, processing and dissemination of personal data. For a free decision about the disclosure of personal data, the individual concerned needs transparency as insight into which personal data is collected, processed, passed on to third parties, for what purposes and for what time (Personal Data Transparency, or PDT for short). The intention of this paper is to assess theories for research on PDT. We performed a literature review and explored theories used in research on PDT. We assessed the selected theories that may be appropriate for exploring PDT. Such research may build on several theories that open up different perspectives and enable various fields of study.