Every year, Forrester updates the US consumer privacy segmentation report to uncover evolving trends in how consumers approach data sharing and privacy protection. The latest findings reveal significant shifts in consumer behavior. Here are three insights that stood out:

  1. Consumers are taking back control of their data. The majority of US online adults have been aware that their online behavior is tracked; now, they are increasingly taking action. The number of US online adults taking active measures to limit the collection of their personal information has seen a stark increase since 2023; over 90% use at least one tool to protect their privacy and security online. Consumers want control of when companies are collecting their data and how they’re using it, in plain English. Given this shift, it’s time to solidify your zero-party data strategy and consider building a preference center.
  2. Location is not to be found for two privacy segments. Skeptical Protectionists and Conditional Consumerists are no longer willing to trade location data for perks. The percentage of Skeptical Protectionists and Conditional Consumerists who say they’re comfortable sharing their location with sites and apps if they get something in return has plummeted by 12 and 23 points, respectively, since 2023. While location data is helpful contextual data, headlines about location data being shared and sold have eroded consumer trust. Collecting and using location data has always been risky, so marketers should carefully evaluate the value proposition they can offer to consumers to encourage them to share this data and should take care to use and share the data responsibly.
  3. Consumers don’t love AI as much as companies do. Brands may be itching to launch cool new consumer-facing AI experiences, especially with the increasing hype around agentic capabilities, but consumers are still lukewarm toward AI. AI awareness is growing slowly, but many US online adults have still never used generative AI. Headlines about the dangers of AI also impact consumers’ perception of the technology. To earn trust, marketers must be transparent about their AI use, clearly highlight its benefits to the user, educate users on how to use it, and ensure that it runs on high-quality data to produce high-quality outputs.

Remember, more data is not necessarily better — especially if you can’t glean insights from it and if using it erodes consumers’ trust. Instead of collecting as much data as possible, identify the data that is critical for improving consumers’ experiences, then design a transparent and respectful way to ask them for it.

To learn more about consumers’ data sharing preferences, check out the report, Forrester’s 2025 US Consumer Privacy Segmentation. And don’t skip Consumers’ Trust Of AI Is Low And Heavily Influenced By Their Privacy Personas for AI-focused insights. For a deeper dive, Forrester clients can schedule a guidance session.