August 14, 2025
Privacy Is the New Loyalty Programme
As artificial intelligence becomes a bigger part of everyday life, the public’s relationship with data is shifting from passive acceptance to active scrutiny. In 2025, trust is no longer a compliance box to tick.
A new survey of 10,000 frequent internet users across Europe and the US, commissioned by Usercentrics, finds consumers are becoming far more intentional about who gets their data, how it’s used, and why.
Forty-four percent say transparency is the single biggest driver of brand trust, while 46% click “accept all” cookies less often than they did three years ago. Forty-two percent now read cookie banners “always” or “often.”
“If Something Is Free, then You Are the Product”
The rapid rise of AI has moved data privacy from a background concern to a frontline issue, transforming it into one of the main ways consumers judge whether a brand deserves their trust.
Sixty-two percent of respondents feel they’ve “become the product,” and 59% are uncomfortable with their data being used to train AI. Far from rejecting all data-sharing, consumers are instead demanding to see the mechanics, particularly what’s being collected, how it’s processed, and the purpose behind it.
Adelina Peltea, CMO at Usercentrics, said: “This isn’t a backlash, it’s a reset. And the brands that succeed will be the ones that don’t wait for regulators, but instead lead with privacy-led marketing. Getting ahead in offering transparency, control, and informed consent is going to be crucial.”
However, not all brands start from the same trust baseline. Highly regulated sectors like finance and the public sector generally fare better, while tech and social media companies remain under heavier suspicion. Even retail, often seen as customer-centric, ranks low for data trust, though among Gen Z, 39% say they trust social platforms.
Privacy-led marketing is emerging as a competitive advantage. It is about building durable customer relationships in a market where loyalty is conditional and easily lost.
