How to Protect Your Privacy When Shopping with AI

If you’ve used a shopping assistant or let an AI tool suggest products, you’re not alone. But a new survey from eMarketer confirms what many suspect: data privacy is now the number one concern for shoppers using AI. Fifty-nine percent of respondents said they worry about privacy more than any other issue related to AI shopping tools.

That fear is understandable, but it doesn’t have to stop you from using these conveniences. Here’s what the survey tells us, why it matters, and—most importantly—what you can do right now to protect your personal information.

What happened

eMarketer’s survey, conducted in early 2026, asked online shoppers about their biggest fears when using AI to help with purchases. Privacy topped the list, beating out concerns like inaccurate recommendations, hidden fees, or bad customer service. More than half of shoppers (59%) selected data privacy as their primary worry.

The finding aligns with broader trends. AI shopping tools often rely on vast amounts of personal data—browsing history, past purchases, location, voice commands, and even social media activity. The more data these systems collect, the greater the risk that it could be misused, leaked, or sold to third parties.

Why it matters

When you ask an AI assistant for product recommendations or let a shopping app analyze your habits, you’re trading personal information for convenience. That trade-off comes with real risks:

  • Personalized ads require tracking your behavior across websites and apps. This often involves third-party cookies, device fingerprinting, and data brokers you’ve never heard of.
  • Voice recordings from smart speakers or mobile assistants can be stored indefinitely and sometimes reviewed by human contractors.
  • Data sharing is common. Many AI shopping features are powered by companies that may share your information with advertisers, analytics firms, or other partners—sometimes in ways that aren’t fully transparent.

And it’s not just about ads. If a retailer or AI platform suffers a data breach, your shopping history, payment details, and even personal preferences could end up in the wrong hands.

What readers can do

The good news is that you don’t have to give up AI shopping tools entirely. A few adjustments can dramatically reduce how much personal data you expose.

1. Use privacy-focused browsing modes

Incognito or private browsing prevents your browser from saving history and cookies, but it doesn’t stop websites from tracking you through your IP address. For stronger protection, consider a dedicated privacy browser like Brave or Firefox with strict tracking protection enabled. These block many of the scripts that AI shopping assistants use to collect data.

2. Turn off ad personalization

Most major platforms let you limit how your data is used for ads. On Google, you can go to My Ad Center and turn off ad personalization. On Amazon, disable “Interest-based ads” in your account settings. This won’t eliminate all tracking, but it reduces the amount of profile-building AI systems can do.

3. Opt out of data sharing

When signing up for an AI shopping tool—whether it’s a personal stylist app, a price comparison bot, or a voice assistant—check the privacy settings. Look for options to limit data sharing with third parties. Many services allow you to opt out of having your data used for “business intelligence” or “product improvement” purposes. It’s worth a few minutes to review those permissions.

4. Be careful with voice assistants

If you use Alexa, Siri, or Google Assistant for shopping, consider deleting your voice history regularly. You can also change settings to prevent recordings from being stored. In the Alexa app, go to Settings > Alexa Privacy > Manage Your Voice Recordings and choose “Don’t save recordings.” For Google Assistant, visit myactivity.google.com and set automatic deletion for voice and audio activity.

5. Review app permissions

Many shopping apps ask for access to your contacts, camera, microphone, or location—often for no good reason. On your phone, go into settings and revoke any permissions that aren’t essential. An AI shopping tool doesn’t need your location to recommend a blender.

6. Use virtual cards or one-time payment methods

Whenever possible, pay with a virtual credit card number (most major banks offer this) or a service like Apple Pay that generates a unique transaction token. This limits the amount of payment data tied to your account. Some retailers also allow guest checkout, which avoids creating a permanent profile linked to your purchase history.

7. Read the fine print (just a little)

You don’t have to read every privacy policy, but look for phrases like “we share your data with affiliates,” “we may use your information for research,” or “we retain your data indefinitely.” If a service is vague about how long it keeps your data or who it shares it with, consider alternatives.

Sources

  • eMarketer, “Data privacy is shoppers’ biggest AI shopping fear, by far,” reported May 2026. Full findings available via eMarketer’s survey release.