Protect Your Data in the Age of AI: Simple Privacy Updates

More companies are adopting artificial intelligence at a rapid pace. According to the World Economic Forum, half of all businesses now use AI in some form. That shift brings new risks for your personal data. A recent WEF report on cutting cyber risk in an AI era highlights how data privacy needs to be rethought. The good news is you don’t need to be a security expert to reduce your exposure. Here are concrete steps you can take.

What Happened

In June 2026, the World Economic Forum published guidance on updating data privacy tools to cut cybersecurity risk as AI becomes more prevalent. The report notes that AI systems often rely on large datasets, many of which include personal information gathered from users. At the same time, the percentage of companies using AI has crossed the 50% mark, meaning your data is more likely to be processed by algorithms that can infer sensitive details you never directly shared.

Why It Matters

Traditional privacy settings were designed for a world where data was used mostly by humans or simple algorithms. AI changes that. It can combine fragments of information from different sources—your social media posts, shopping habits, location check-ins—to build detailed profiles. Even if you share only harmless details individually, an AI model can connect them in ways you didn’t intend. That increases cyber risk: more data points mean more opportunities for attackers to exploit, and regulators are still catching up. The WEF report stresses that individuals need to take proactive steps now, not wait for companies to fix the problem.

What Readers Can Do

You can lower your risk without overhauling your digital life. Start with these practical changes:

Review app permissions. Go through the apps on your phone and computer. Revoke access to data they don’t genuinely need. For example, a flashlight app doesn’t need your contacts or camera. On iOS and Android, you can check and modify permissions in Settings. Focus on location, microphone, camera, and contacts.

Adjust social media sharing. Limit who can see your posts. On most platforms, you can set past posts to “friends only” or “only me.” Turn off location tagging. Consider removing personal details from your bio, like your birthday or employer. AI scrapers often collect publicly visible data, so locking down old content helps.

Switch to privacy-focused browsers and search engines. Browsers like Firefox or Brave block many trackers by default. Use a search engine such as DuckDuckGo or Startpage that doesn’t profile you. The WEF article recommends these as simple but effective tools to reduce the data available to AI-driven advertising networks.

Enable two-factor authentication (2FA). This adds an extra layer to your accounts. Use an authenticator app (like Google Authenticator or Authy) rather than SMS when possible, because SIM-swapping attacks are on the rise. 2FA protects you even if your password is leaked.

Use a password manager. Reusing passwords is a common risk. A password manager like Bitwarden or 1Password generates strong, unique passwords for each site and stores them securely. This limits damage if one service is breached and your credentials end up in an AI-powered credential-stuffing attack.

Consider a VPN for sensitive activities. A VPN encrypts your internet traffic and hides your IP address. It won’t stop all tracking, but it makes it harder for AI systems to link your online behavior back to you personally. Use it when connecting to public Wi-Fi or accessing financial accounts.

Clean up unused accounts. Every online account you have is a potential data source. Delete accounts you no longer use. Sites like JustDeleteMe or manual account deletion guides can help. Fewer accounts mean less data floating around for AI models to ingest.

Audit your browser extensions. Extensions can access your browsing data. Remove any you don’t use regularly, and check permissions of the ones you keep. Privacy-focused extensions like uBlock Origin, Privacy Badger, and HTTPS Everywhere can actually reduce tracking.

Use encrypted messaging. For private conversations, apps like Signal or WhatsApp (with end-to-end encryption enabled) prevent AI systems on the service provider’s side from analyzing your messages. Standard SMS and many chat apps do not offer this protection.

These steps are not exhaustive, but they address the most common vectors where AI-driven data collection occurs. The WEF report notes that no single tool is a silver bullet—layering multiple protections is the most effective approach.

Sources

  • World Economic Forum, “How to update data privacy tools to cut cybersecurity risk in the AI era,” June 2026. [URL from RSS feed]
  • World Economic Forum, “Half of all Companies Now Use AI in business,” June 2026. [URL from RSS feed]
  • Additional context on AI data risks draws on the WEF’s broader research on cyber risk and data privacy.

Staying safe in the AI era doesn’t require expensive software or a complete digital detox. A few deliberate changes to your privacy settings and tool choices can meaningfully cut your cyber risk. Start with two or three of the steps above this week, then build from there.