74% of Americans Fear AI Will Destroy Privacy

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Jul 30, 2024, 07:00 ET

In Response to Public Concerns, Aloha Browser Launches Private AI Assistant

In a recent U.S. YouGov survey¹ commissioned by Aloha Browser, 84% of respondents cited online privacy as a fundamental human right, while 74% felt threatened by the potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to "destroy" their privacy.
53% of respondents cited "Privacy, Safety and Security" as their #1 concern with AI.
Even though 45% recognize self-education as the most effective way to secure online privacy, more than 30% don't feel they have enough information.
Using browsers with enhanced privacy features (34%), and VPNs (29%) were cited as the #2 and #3 most effective methods of online privacy protection after self-education.
In response to public demand for maintaining privacy in the AI era, today Aloha Browser is launching its new Private AI Assistant.

SANTA CLARA, Calif., July 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- YouGov and Aloha Browser today announced the results of their "How Does AI Affect Digital Privacy?" survey, in which almost three-quarters (74%) of respondents said they felt threatened by the potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to "destroy their privacy."

Privacy, safety and security is #1 concern with AI

"At Aloha Browser, we have always believed that privacy is a fundamental human right, and we are not surprised that such an overwhelming majority (84%) of Americans feel the same way," said Andrew Frost Moroz, Founder of Aloha Browser. "Further, with 53% of Americans naming privacy, safety and security as their biggest concern in adopting AI, we believe that we needed to act. Therefore, to ensure that people truly have the freedom to be private, today we are launching a Private AI assistant in the new version of Aloha Browser. This new feature will allow people to benefit from AI while maintaining complete privacy protection and security."

Aloha's Private AI assistant ensures true anonymity for users by preventing their queries from being "fingerprinted." Just like Aloha Browser, it doesn't collect, store or share any user information; moreover, it combines and mixes all the AI requests it receives, blending them together so no outside party can determine who is asking what. Because all queries are mixed together and stripped of any external data like time zone, operating system or IP address, it becomes impossible to identify individual users or collect their information to create a digital twin for fraudulent actions.

Although 45% of respondents cited educating themselves about risks as the most effective method of online privacy protection, we also found that over 30% did not feel well informed on how to do so. Because of this, we see our role both as raising awareness about the importance of privacy and also educating users on the best ways to protect themselves," adds Frost Moroz.

According to the study, respondents felt that using browsers with enhanced privacy protection (34%) and VPNs (29%) were the most effective tools for privacy protection.

"We share the public's concerns about how AI has been deployed so far and anticipated this demand for effective privacy tools," says Frost Moroz. "That's why we've made it a point to include all our key privacy features in the free version of our browser, including built-in unlimited VPN, adblocking and biometric protected tabs and files."

Aloha goes the extra mile for privacy by never using any open-source elements that could compromise privacy in any way. For the open-source elements that it does use, Aloha's team of developers verifies their safety daily to ensure there are no trackers. All other proprietary browser elements and features are designed in-house. Further, the browser is regularly audited by third parties to ensure the highest privacy and security standards.

Frank Heidt, Chief Executive Officer of Seattle-headquartered Leviathan Security Group, which audits Aloha's security solutions, stated: "For the past three years, we have been regularly auditing the company's solutions and can confidently assert that they meet the highest security standards and effectively protect users from vulnerabilities. For two decades, Leviathan has audited tens of thousands of technical solutions for the world's largest companies for whom security and privacy are paramount for conducting business."

Aloha Browser is quite unique among privacy web browsers in that even though it is free to use, it does not collect, share, sell or monetize any user data in any way. The company's business model is instead built on some of its users buying premium VPN and AI subscription services. Started in 2015, Aloha is now seeing approximately 10 million active monthly users and more than 250 million downloads.

"Millions of our users choose Aloha Browser with a Premium subscription for their everyday use because they value our superior privacy solutions and bespoke convenience features. Unique to Aloha are features such as our media player with background playing and a fully protected, full-scale file manager that secures files with the highest grade of encryption," details Frost Moroz.

Despite Aloha's AI protection, Aloha understands that some users are still uncomfortable with using artificial intelligence in any way. "However, for users who are still concerned about using AI, Aloha has also developed a kind of panic button, which will actually disable AI in an instant," explains Frost Moroz. "We call it 'Kill All AI,' and this feature makes you a little like Sarah Connor in the Terminator films." 'Kill All AI' ensures that users have the choice to opt out of AI entirely and be assured that their browser and device will respect that choice."

Additional infographics are available here https://alh.to/aloha_productmediakit, Product Media Kit is available here https://alh.to/aloha_productmediakit_tech.

About Aloha Browser

Since 2015, Cyprus-based Aloha Browser has set out to make digital freedom and digital privacy accessible to everyone. Through its privacy-first web browser and Private AI Assistant, Aloha offers a seamless and intuitive user experience while providing unparalleled data protection, security and easy access to online content anytime, anywhere.

The company has adhered to the principle of safeguarding user data. It refrains from any collection, storage, or monetization of user data and derives its revenue from its premium services. Aloha verifies the safety of its open-source engine daily, creates and designs all other browser elements and features in-house. Aloha's core product is its private and secure web browser, which includes a free encrypted and unlimited VPN with no logs, built-in AdBlock, enhanced privacy features like biometrics-locked tabs, a powerful file manager and a media player with native VR video support. Aloha Browser is currently available for Windows, macOS, iOS, iPad and Android platforms, with millions of users worldwide. Find out more at https://alohabrowser.com/

About YouGov

YouGov is an international online research data and analytics technology group. Our mission is to offer unparalleled insight into what the world thinks. Our innovative solutions help the world's most recognised brands, media owners and agencies to plan, activate and track their marketing activities better. With operations in the UK, the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, India and Asia Pacific, we have one of the world's largest research networks. At the core of our platform is an ever-growing source of consumer data that has been amassed over our twenty years of operation. We call it Living Data. All of our products and services draw upon this detailed understanding of our 27+ million registered panel members to deliver accurate, actionable consumer insights. As innovators and pioneers of online market research, we have a strong reputation as a trusted source of accurate data and insights. Testament to this, YouGov data is regularly referenced by the global press, and we are the most quoted market research source in the world. YouGov. Living Consumer Intelligence. For further information, visit business.yougov.com

¹ "How Does AI Affect Digital Privacy?" YouGov survey commissioned by Aloha Browser was conducted in May 2024. Total sample: 2115 Residents of USA, 18+).

SOURCE Aloha Browser