by: Dashia Milden | CNET
Pretty much all of our personal data is online at this point. Whether it’s saved credit cards or photos in your social media profiles, your private life is easily accessible — including to hackers.
That’s one reason why the vast majority of Americans have been targeted by scams or cyberattacks, according a new study by Consumer Reports, Aspen Digital and the Global Cyber Alliance.
The report found 9 in 10 Americans have faced at least one digital scam or cyberattack. “That’s not a statistic, that’s almost everyone we serve,” Consumer Reports CEO Phil Radford said in a statement. “AI is making fraud faster, cheaper and more personal, and no one can outsmart that alone. Companies need to be held accountable. Governments need real guardrails. That’s the bar we’re setting – for ourselves and for them.”
What’s even worse is that US adults aren’t confident in personal data privacy — like having safeguards for their Social Security number or financial data. Over 1 in 4 (29%) aren’t confident at all. That figure has nearly doubled compared to the annual survey’s 2025 finding that only 16% weren’t confident at all. And the number of US adults confident in the privacy of their sensitive data has shrunk from 48% in 2025 down to 32% this year.
That doesn’t mean we’ve given up. Many respondents reported looking closely at texts and emails before clicking (69%), using multifactor authentication (60%) and enabling automatic software updates (48%). But their efforts alone won’t do.
AI won’t make personal data privacy any easier to manage
What will it take to increase consumer confidence in personal data privacy in a world where AI is becoming more of a threat than a tool for evolution?
Consider the latest news of the FBI employees’ data being stolen, your home router being a target of Russian military intelligence and the widespread and fast-growing cybersecurity incidents from AI model testing and training.
Read more: Florida Asks Judge to Stop OpenAI From Training New Models After Latest Incidents
“AI will certainly make it easier for scammers to create personalized scams at scale and lower the amount of effort it takes to craft and send scams,” said Stacey Higginbotham, a policy fellow for Consumer Reports.
Higginbotham said there are several measures that can reduce scams, but policymakers haven’t taken serious action. Congress could pass laws such as the federal SCAM Act or the SAFE Platforms Act that would penalize scammers who abuse online platforms with their malicious tactics.
“So AI is a problem, but legislators could address some of the challenges associated with the looming glut of AI-enabled scams by shoring up the basics and making it more expensive for companies to profit off of scammers at the expense of consumers,” Higginbotham said.
For now, Higginbotham said the most important thing you can do is follow common password best practices like using different strong passwords and enabling multifactor authentication. Also, make sure you’re assessing all messages from strangers, whether it feels like a scam or not.
Dashia Milden
Senior Consumer Insights Editor
Dashia is the consumer insights editor for CNET. She specializes in data-driven analysis and news at the intersection of tech, personal finance and consumer sentiment. Dashia investigates economic shifts and everyday challenges to help readers make well-informed decisions, and she covers a range of topics, including technology, security, energy and money. Dashia graduated from the University of South Carolina with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. She loves baking, teaching spinning and spending time with her family. See full bio