We are telling AI chatbots our biggest secrets, but Proton warns our privacy is at huge risk

Date:
Thu, 24 Sep 2026 14:46:03 +0000

Description:
Are you telling an AI chatbot your deepest secrets? A new Proton survey shows two-thirds of Brits are using AI as a judgment-free confidant, despite having major trust issues when it comes to their data privacy.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter 66% of UK AI users have discussed highly sensitive topics with a chatbot Yet, 64% of respondents are worried that chats will be used to profile them Proton's privacy-first chatbot, Lumo, aims to fix this trust gap Late at night, when you need to
vent about a relationship, ask for career advice, or check a worrying health symptom, who do you turn to? For a rapidly growing number of people, it isn't a friend, family member, or doctor; it's a chatbot.

A new piece of research published today by Proton, the Swiss tech firm behind some of the best VPN services on the market, reveals that a staggering 66% of British AI users have discussed at least one sensitive topic with an artificial intelligence assistant. However, there is a massive contradiction at the heart of this new digital relationship: we are pouring our hearts out to these chatbots, but we do not actually trust them. According to the survey , 42% of UK users have little or no trust in AI companies to protect their private information, and 11% don't trust them at all.

Despite these glaring privacy reservations, 55% of Brits admit that AI has fundamentally changed their everyday decision-making.

Proton VPN best for privacy Based in Switzerland, this privacy-first VPN offers good speeds, advanced anti-censorship features, and a server network that spans 145 countries around the world including across Africa and Asia, where other providers tend to struggle. While its free VPN plan is handy, it comes with limitations. The good news is that upgrading to a premium subscription will cost you only the equivalent of $2.99 per month . View Deal The ultimate judgment-free zone So, why are we sharing our most intimate thoughts with machines we don't trust? The answer is simple: freedom from judgment.

While friends and family remain the preferred choice for most sensitive discussions, AI offers a 24/7 digital confidant that won't react with
surprise or embarrassment.

Proton's data shows personal finance is the most commonly discussed sensitive topic (33%), followed closely by work or career problems (32%), mental health struggles (27%), and relationship issues (20%). 66% of people have told an ai chatbot something sensitive.Their finances. Their mental health. Their sex life.At most 1 in 5 trust the companies holding that information.1/6 September 24, 2026 "AI is learning far more about us than a search engine
ever could," said Eamonn Maguire, Director of AI Engineering at Proton. "Were not just asking questions. Were sharing deeply personal context about our health, finances and relationships. And when technology knows that much about us, privacy can't be an afterthought."

The primary worry isn't just about the AI remembering a single chat, or even the risk of human reviewers reading your logs . Users are increasingly terrified of the bigger picture.

In the UK, 64% of respondents are concerned that their vulnerable conversations are being weaponized to build detailed advertising or marketing profiles. Meanwhile, 52% are worried their secrets are being fed back into
the machine to train future AI models. (Image credit: Future) NEW : Leave No Trace A weekly newsletter on digital privacy and online surveillance.

Leave No Trace investigates the companies and governments putting our digital freedom at risk and the people fighting back.

Subscribe now to get every edition delivered to your inbox every Friday, launching this September. How Lumo promises a private alternative (Image credit: Lumo/Edited with Gemini) Despite these valid fears, Brits are highly receptive to a more secure way forward. A massive 82% of users said they
would be more likely to use an AI chatbot specifically designed around privacy, and 44% would be far more willing to share sensitive information if they were given a cast-iron guarantee that their chats wouldn't be used for
AI training .

This is exactly where Proton hopes to fill the gap with Lumo . Built with the same end-to-end encryption ethos as the company's famous email client, Lumo
is an open-source, privacy-first ChatGPT alternative .

To help users understand the scale of their digital footprint, Proton
recently launched AI Paper Trail, a tool from Lumo that visually demonstrates exactly how much personal information an average AI conversation leaks about
a user's inner life.

"People have already decided that AI is useful enough to hear their money worries, doubts and everyday concerns. They are handing AI companies their inner lives and biggest secrets on the assumption that they will protect them when it's actually the opposite. AI's business model depends on learning from them" Maguire added. Today's best VPN deals NordVPN 2 Year $3.49 /mth View +3 months free Surfshark 24 Months $2.49 /mth View Proton VPN 24 Month $2.99
/mth View We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the
Follow button!



======================================================================
Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/vpn/vpn-privacy-security/we-are-telling-ai-chatbots- our-biggest-secrets-but-proton-warns-our-privacy-is-at-huge-risk


--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 (Linux/64)
* Origin: tqwNet Technology News (1337:1/100)