Consumers are becoming more aware of national privacy laws as they contend with the new wave of data hungry AI applications, according to a new report from Cisco.

According to the technology firm’s 2024 Consumer Privacy Survey, 53% of consumers are now familiar with privacy laws covering personal data, a 17 point increase compared to 2019, with well informed consumers much more likely to feel their data is protected (81%) compared to those who are unaware (44%). 

Most consumers (70%) see privacy laws as a good thing, with only 5% viewing them unfavorably, and support for privacy protections is on the rise, with 77% wanting consistent rules across countries and regions to ensure basic privacy standards.

Well over half (59%) said that strong privacy laws make them more comfortable sharing information with AI applications, leading to 30% of genAI users entering personal or confidential information, including financial and health details, into those tools.

However, there is still unease surrounding the security of AI, with 84% reporting that they are concerned about personal data being used by genAI going public by either accident or design.

Privacy and data protection have become a key customer expectation, with over 75% of consumers stating they won’t buy from a company they don’t trust to protect their data, with Cisco dubbing these consumers as ‘Privacy Active’.

The survey shows that younger generations are more likely to be concerned about their data, with 49% of consumers aged 25-34 switching companies or providers because of data policies or data-sharing practices, compared to just 18% of those aged 75+.

The survey also found that consumers aged 25-34 are the most aware of their privacy rights (64% vs. 33% of 65+), and 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 (DSARs).

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Looking to protect themselves, more consumers are leveraging security tools to safeguard their data. In the 12 months prior to the survey, 67% said they had reviewed or updated their privacy settings across apps and platforms, 68% said they used multi-factor authentication, and 61% used a password manager to protect and keep track of passwords.

“Data is an asset we all must actively work to protect,” said Anthony Grieco, Cisco senior VP and chief security officer. 

“From using multi-factor authentication to making sure that users know very clearly and easily who can access information as it is shared, we are encouraged by respondents taking action to protect their personal information.”  

Even if consumers are growing more comfortable with the idea of sharing their details with AI tools, they don’t necessarily want the firms behind it to begin excessively collecting.

Previous research found that consumers are growing impatient with companies in their demand for ever more data, with almost three quarters of people in the UK being critical of firms which collect too much of their personal and financial information.