Cloaked has introduced the Cloaked Research Hub, a new initiative focused on publishing original research on how Americans perceive and respond to personal privacy, digital identity, and data security challenges. The initiative launches with five nationally representative surveys examining consumer attitudes toward artificial intelligence, spam communications, financial fraud, online privacy, and digital footprints.
The research highlights growing concerns around personal data protection, increasing distrust of AI-driven technologies, and changing consumer behaviors influenced by digital privacy risks.
Cloaked announced the launch of the Cloaked Research Hub, an ongoing research initiative designed to provide insights into how American consumers think about privacy, cybersecurity, and personal data protection.
According to the company, the platform will publish recurring research covering emerging topics such as artificial intelligence, digital identity, online privacy, financial fraud, and consumer trust. Each study is based on responses from 1,000 U.S. participants and aims to provide data-driven insights for businesses, policymakers, media organizations, and consumers.
The initial findings indicate that Americans are becoming increasingly aware of digital privacy risks while seeking greater control over their online presence.
According to the research, approximately 33 million online searches related to digital privacy, online privacy, and personal data removal were conducted over the past two years. Searches for "remove my information from the internet free" increased by 133%, while "how to delete information from the internet" grew by 34%.
The study also found that 96% of digital identity-related searches focused on awareness, monitoring, or protection rather than reactive removal of personal information. Additionally, searches associated with doxxing prevention increased 37% year over year.
Cloaked's digital footprint survey further revealed that 77% of Americans believe they do not have control over the information available about them online.
The research suggests that advances in artificial intelligence and the growing volume of spam communications are contributing to declining consumer confidence in digital technologies.
According to The Trust Costs of Spam Calls and Texts survey, the average American loses 27 hours annually to spam calls. As a result, 42% of respondents reported that spam has significantly changed their preferred communication methods, while 43% said they block all unknown callers by default.
Meanwhile, the How Americans Feel about Sharing Their Data with AI survey found that 75% of respondents feel monitored by the technologies they use, and 82% do not trust AI to protect their personal data.
The research also indicates that AI-related privacy concerns are influencing consumer loyalty. More than two in five Americans stated they would leave a platform if they learned a company was using AI to make decisions about areas such as credit, hiring, or insurance without their consent.
Cloaked stated that the Research Hub will serve as an ongoing resource tracking consumer attitudes toward evolving privacy and cybersecurity issues. The company plans to publish new surveys every month, covering topics related to digital identity, personal data protection, and emerging technology trends.
"The Cloaked Research Hub is a fact-based insights resource for individuals, companies, media, and policymakers to continue to better understand American views on data privacy across a wide range of topics and demographics," said Arjun Bhatnagar, Co-founder and CEO at Cloaked.
"Understanding consumer sentiment and how it influences action is a pivotal component to solving the data privacy crisis we face today. The Cloaked Research Hub is a fact-based insights resource for individuals, companies, media, and policymakers to continue to better understand American views on data privacy across a wide range of topics and demographics." said Arjun Bhatnagar, Co-founder and CEO at Cloaked.
The launch reflects increasing industry focus on understanding how privacy concerns, AI adoption, and digital security continue to shape consumer expectations and business practices.
Founded by brothers Arjun and Abhijay Bhatnagar, Cloaked is a consumer-first privacy and security company dedicated to helping individuals take control of their personal data. Trusted by more than 450,000 users, Cloaked gives individuals control over when, where, and with whom they share personal data across its web platform, browser extension, and mobile app while actively removing what's already exposed in the public domain. Cloaked Enterprise extends this same foundational approach with enterprise-grade tooling, delivering comprehensive employee protection through a distributed, cloud-based managed service that reduces corporate risk and exposure.
To date, the company has raised more than $400 million in funding from investors, including General Catalyst, Liberty City Ventures, Human Capital, Lux Capital, Marquee Ventures, Fifth Growth Fund, Next Play Ventures, Index Ventures, Mantis VC, Khosla Ventures, Thiel Capital, ENEA Capital, the NFLPA, LG Technology Ventures, Assurant Ventures, and DuckDuckGo. Cloaked is based in New York City. To learn more, visit cloaked.com.
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