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Over six in 10 (63%) of consumers believe artificial intelligence can be useful in improving their lives, and 59% say strong privacy laws make them more comfortable sharing information in AI applications Cisco’s 2024 Consumer Privacy Survey shows.
Consumer awareness is on the rise. This year, 53% of consumers said they are aware of their national privacy laws, a 17% increase compared to 2019. Informed consumers are also much more likely to feel their data is protected (81%) compared to those who are unaware (44%).
The findings are based on the survey of 2600 consumers across countries, including India.
The Opportunities And Challenges Of Generative AI
The use of gen AI has nearly doubled, with 23% of respondents using it regularly, up from 12% last year. However, 44% of surveyed consumers remain unaware of gen AI. While users said they are gaining value from gen AI supporting content creation work, they are concerned about safety, potential misuse and societal risks.
Focusing on privacy, 30% of gen AI users said they enter personal or confidential information, including financial and health details, into gen AI tools. This is despite 84% being concerned about that data going public.
Young Adults Protect Privacy, Seniors Fall Behind
More than 75% of consumers said they won't purchase from an organisation they don't trust with their data. This translates into concrete actions as more consumers are becoming "Privacy Active", particularly younger ones. To safeguard their privacy, 49% of consumers aged 25–34 have switched companies or providers over their data policies or data-sharing practices, compared to just 18% of those aged over 75.
Consumers aged 25–34 are also most aware of their privacy rights (64% vs 33% of those aged over 65). It also showed a significant increase (36% vs 28% last year) in how consumers exercise their right to access, correct, delete or transfer their personal data via Data Subject Access Requests.
In addition, consumers are leveraging security tools to safeguard their data. In the 12 months prior to the survey, 67% reviewed or updated their privacy settings in apps or platforms. Around 68% use multi-factor authentication, and 61% use a password manager to protect and keep track of their passwords.
Consumers Support Strong Privacy Protections
A significant majority (70%) of consumers surveyed believe that privacy laws have a positive impact, with only 5% perceiving a negative impact. They increasingly favour privacy protections, with 77% of respondents supporting similar rules across countries and regions to ensure baseline privacy protections.
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