- Nearly three quarters of UK users value end-to-end encryption
- However, many Brits don’t know that their favorite apps don’t offer it.
- Proton Also Warns Against Big Tech’s Privacy Washing Tactics
Many people say they care about who can see their online footprint. However, a new study from Proton, the company behind one of the best VPN and secure email services, suggests that reality does not align with these concerns and the gap appears to be growing.
While most Brits say they care about their online privacy and value end-to-end encryption, they continue to rely on popular apps that don’t actually offer it.
The study showed that even among users who actively care about data privacy, many overestimate how secure conventional services really are. Experts warn that it’s more important than ever to understand which apps are actually protecting your data.
What research says about privacy beliefs in the UK
Proton research found that almost three quarters (73%) of people in the UK say end-to-end encryption (E2EE) is important when choosing digital services. However, they often overestimate the security of the applications they use every day.
More than half of respondents (57%) described Gmail as “very” or “somewhat” private, even though 27% incorrectly believe it offers end-to-end encryption.
Similarly, 19% of UK users incorrectly assume that Microsoft Outlook offers E2EE. This confusion also extends beyond email clients: Some respondents believe that Google Drive encrypts files end-to-end.
The main concern here is scale. Large amounts of sensitive messages, documents, and personal data pass through these platforms every day. While many of these platforms may use encryption in transit or at rest, providers still retain technical access, despite what many UK users think they are getting.
Why end-to-end encryption still confuses people
A major factor in this problem is that end-to-end encryption (E2EE) is widely misunderstood. Simply put, E2EE means that only the sender and recipient of any message can read its content, not the app provider, advertisers or third parties.
However, encryption alone does not guarantee complete privacy.
WhatsApp is a perfect example of this. Most UK users correctly recognize that it uses E2EE, but fewer realize that the provider still collects certain surrounding metadata. This data can be as revealing as the content of the message.
Even when messages are end-to-end encrypted, apps that are “sufficiently private,” like WhatsApp, collect large amounts of metadata: who you talk to, when, from where, and how often you communicate. Over time, companies use this information to create a picture of your habits and relationships.
Proton warns that in large Big Tech ecosystems, this data can also be reused in ways that users don’t expect, such as for AI development and analysis. E2EE protects the content of the message, but does not protect the data surrounding it; This distinction is where the key risks still remain.
Proton notes that “privacy laundering” is a major factor at play here. Years of privacy-focused marketing have created false trust among users, leaving them exposed to long-term tracking and profiling despite their trust in the privacy their apps offer.
How to protect your privacy online
Protecting your privacy doesn’t mean abandoning the apps you use every day overnight. However, it does mean making more informed decisions.
Proton’s advice is to start by learning which apps actually use end-to-end encryption and prioritize them for sensitive communications.
“In the age of AI, what you once thought was private, like your emails, photos and memories, can be quietly reused as training data for tech giants, unless end-to-end encryption is used,” said Anant Vijay Singh, product lead at Proton Mail.
It’s also worth reevaluating everyday tools like email, cloud storage, and messaging apps, where “encrypted” doesn’t necessarily mean private. “Fortunately, swapping your most-used apps for privacy-focused alternatives is easier than ever,” said Vijay Singh.
For everyday browsing, we also recommend using a secure VPN service, especially when connecting to public Wi-Fi. A virtual private network (VPN) adds an extra layer of encryption to your online activities while also spoofing your IP address for added security.
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