AI Is Guessing Your Secrets: How Inferred Data Threatens Your Privacy and What to Do

You might be careful about what you post online and which apps you allow to track your location. But even if you never share your medical history, salary, or political views directly, companies can now use artificial intelligence to infer those private details from seemingly harmless information—your shopping habits, browsing times, or even the way you type. This practice, known as inferred data, is drawing new attention from regulators and consumer advocates after a recent legal analysis from the law firm Dykema highlighted growing risks for everyday internet users.

What happened

In July 2026, Dykema published a detailed analysis warning that AI tools are making inference more powerful and harder to control. The same week, Bloomberg Law News covered the implications for consumers. Inferred data is not new—retailers have long guessed whether a customer is pregnant based on purchases—but AI now makes it possible to connect far more data points at scale. A single click, a few seconds of hesitation on a webpage, or a pattern of searches can feed statistical models that label you as high-risk for a health condition, likely to respond to a political ad, or more willing to pay a higher price for a product. The accuracy of these inferences is uncertain, but companies are already acting on them.

Why it matters

The problem is not just that someone might know things about you that you never disclosed. Inferred data can lead to real-world harm:

  • Price discrimination: An airline or hotel website might infer from your browsing history that you are desperate for a flight, then show you a higher price. A study from Northeastern University found that travel sites sometimes display different prices based on inferred behavior.
  • Insurance risk profiling: Insurers might use AI to infer that you have a chronic condition based on your social media activity or purchase of specific over-the-counter products, then adjust your premiums without your knowledge.
  • Targeted manipulation: Political campaigns and marketers can infer your anxieties, hopes, and vulnerabilities, then craft messages designed to exploit them.

Current laws like the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) give you some rights over data you voluntarily share, but they often treat inferred data differently. Under the CCPA, for example, “sensitive personal information” includes data from which inferences can be drawn about certain protected characteristics—but enforcement has been uneven. The Dykema analysis notes that regulators are still grappling with whether inferred data should be treated the same as data you explicitly provide. Until the rules catch up, consumers are largely on their own.

What readers can do

You cannot stop AI from making inferences entirely—any data you share can be used for this purpose—but you can reduce the risk and limit the damage:

  1. Audit your digital footprint. Review the permissions you have granted to apps and browser extensions. Revoke anything that is not essential. Use a service like Mozilla’s “Privacy Not Included” guide or the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s “Cover Your Tracks” to see how much data you leak.

  2. Use privacy-focused tools. A good ad blocker (like uBlock Origin) and a privacy-focused browser (Brave or Firefox with strict privacy settings) reduce the data points companies collect about you. Consider using a VPN, especially if your internet service provider can sell your browsing history.

  3. Opt out of data sharing where possible. Many websites and apps allow you to opt out of data sale or sharing under the CCPA (in the U.S.) or similar state laws. Look for “Do Not Sell My Personal Information” links or use the Global Privacy Control browser setting, which automatically signals your opt-out preference.

  4. Exercise your rights. Under the CCPA, you can request that a business disclose what personal information it has collected about you—including inferred data. You can also request deletion. Under the GDPR, you have a right to object to profiling based on automated decision-making. File requests with companies you suspect of making inferences about you. The process is not always smooth, but it can reveal what is happening and pressure firms to be more transparent.

  5. Be selective about what you share publicly. Remember that even anonymous-seeming data—like upvotes on Reddit or likes on Instagram—can be used to infer your personality, health, or financial status. Think twice before connecting accounts across services.

Sources

  • Dykema, “AI-Powered Inferred Data Poses New Threats for Consumer Privacy,” July 2026.
  • Bloomberg Law News, “AI-Powered Inferred Data Poses New Threats for Consumer Privacy,” July 2026.
  • California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) – text and enforcement guidelines available via the California Privacy Protection Agency.
  • General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) – text available via EUR-Lex.