As technology has expanded into almost every aspect of our lives, concern over digital trust has grown alongside it. Today, platforms, apps, and websites that establish trust among users are more likely to retain users, while those that fail to do so are likely to see a decline in users.

The immense volume of online interactions is not the only reason concern over digital trust has become more mainstream. This mounting priority among users has also been accelerated by numerous large data breaches, privacy concerns over how personal data is being used, and rising scepticism driven by the rise of artificial intelligence (AI).

Perhaps you are beginning to seek digital trust more frequently, or maybe you have always vetted online services based on their reputation. Either way, understanding why trusting the digital services you use is more important than ever.

Data Breaches

Among the most prominent causes of the growing demand for trust among digital platforms is the continuous stream of high-profile data breaches that have occurred in recent years. These breaches range from the 2017 Equifax incident, which revealed more than 150 million people’s personal data, to the more recent McDonald’s breach that divulged information about more than 64 million job applicants.

These data breaches, which occur across almost every industry, from healthcare (2025 McLaren Health Care breach) to entertainment and hospitality (2018 Marriott International breach), have caused unnecessary stress for millions of people who have entrusted their private information to companies.

This information, which is often distributed or sold via the dark web, can then be used by others for illicit purposes or to gain access to other systems or databases. In instances where users may use the same credentials for multiple accounts, such incidents can lead to subsequent breaches, which further expose sensitive data.

The responsibility to ensure that user information is safe lies solely with the platforms to which we entrust this information. As such, users are more likely to avoid companies and platforms that don’t take privacy seriously by having robust security systems and active plans to deter hackers in place.

Privacy Concerns

The publicity surrounding many data breaches has created greater public knowledge of the importance of keeping personal information safe. However, more than this, various other factors have increased privacy concerns among digital users.

Chief among these are instances where private data profiles have been used by corporations or governments for purposes other than the purposes for which the information was intended. One of the best examples of this is the 2018 Facebook and Cambridge Analytica scandal, where millions of data points were misused for political agendas without users being aware.

Public education is another significant factor. Largely modelled on the EU version, the 2018 UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the 2018 Data Protection Act highlighted the importance of data security for many people and the need to prevent information from being freely spread online.

All these factors have helped to raise a culture of users who are more concerned with who is accessing their online data, what is being done with it, and how it is stored. This rising concern over privacy, combined with a desire to engage digitally without being tracked, is resulting in users favouring companies and platforms that provide transparency and have a trusted reputation.

Rising Scepticism

The explosion of AI-powered services is possibly the biggest factor fuelling the growing requirement for digital trust now prevalent in almost every industry and on every platform. From website builders, image generators, and voice-over artists to chatbots and everything in between, AI has infiltrated digital platforms with almost complete adoption.

Although these AI engines have added plenty of convenient and accessible features, they have also been responsible for multiple trust-breaking incidents and queries. Among these are the generation of realistic deepfakes, which often show public figures doing or saying things they have not actually done or said, AI-powered scams, which are increasingly sophisticated and efficient, and even AI hackers that perform data breaches.

More subtle than the above are countless AI-generated news stories, which often fail to capture the truth of what is being reported, and AI engagement on social media, where users often don’t know who (or what) they are talking to.

All these things have created a rising scepticism about what is real and what is not, with users often seeking further proof or validation of what they come across online. Platforms, including even news agencies, lacking transparency about how they obtained or researched their information, may find it difficult to retain users as scepticism becomes more prevalent.

Industry Trust Development

Due to the seemingly continuous deterioration of trust among users and online services and platforms, some industries have taken the lead by implementing new methods to establish trust. In some instances, this has been driven by government regulation, while in others, companies have decided to show transparency without external pressure.

The financial sector is one such industry. Through the launch of the Revised Payment Services Directive (PSD2), the directive gives banking customers more control over their financial information and can even choose to share it securely with third-party providers. This gives each user control over their data and how it is used.

The iGaming sector is another that is making huge strides in transparency and trust. Due to various regulatory requirements and the oversight of the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), anyone playing at legal UK online casinos can be assured that their information is being retained safely and used only for the purpose for which it was obtained. Any operator that fails to do this is liable to fines and revocation of their licence.

Conclusion

Despite the efforts of some governments and industries, the road toward total digital trust is bumpy and unlikely to be traversed quickly. While finance, health, iGaming, and many other industries try to make headway in fostering trust with consumers, continued data breaches, concerns over privacy, and the influx of AI are making this harder than ever.

Until further transparency is established, it is best to be wary of who you share your data with, how they store it, and for what exact purposes it is used. Only through such diligence can you build the digital trust needed to navigate a connected world with confidence.