Most Americans—about four out of five adults—are concerned about how tech companies are using the increasingly large volume of information about them, and many want something to be done about it. Millions gave genetic data to 23andMe, which was breached by hackers in 2023. After the company filed for bankruptcy in March, that data was put up for sale, sparking a public outcry and lawsuits from 27 states. The increasing use of AI is also creating more privacy concerns. In factore than 70 percent of Americans say they want more regulation about the use of consumer data.
"It’s not so much that we're knowingly handing over all our data,” said Anouk Ruhaak, chair of Stichting Data Bescherming Nederland (SDBN), a Dutch privacy organization. "It’s that it's often collected without our knowledge or consent."
In the absence of regulatory protection, more consumers and startups are embracing the idea of personal data sovereignty—users reclaiming agency over what happens to personal information, and pushing back against companies that try a metaphorical land grab.
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