How Are Digital Threats Changing The Way People Use Everyday Tech?

Technology is changing our daily habits in many ways – both in and out of our control. But, digital threats have changed how we trust technology as well as how we trust people. We live in a time where we are forever skeptical of everything and everyone…

Think about it: your phone rings from a number you do not recognise, and your first thought probably is not that somebody needs your help. This isn’t out of nowhere – people have had no choice but to be cautious because it could be an unknown caller who wants to sell something or steal personal information or trick them into handing over money. That small moment says a lot about how cyber crime has worked its way into everyday life.

The habit goes beyond just ignoring phone calls from randoms. So many people hesitate before opening an email, clicking a text message or sharing a phone number online as well. Everyday technology now comes with that fear, where you always have to ask: “can this be trusted?”

Research from Cloaked gets into how common these habits have become. Americans receive an average of 16 spam calls and 9 spam texts every month. Those constant interruptions have encouraged many people to treat every unfamiliar contact as suspicious – so, it’s guilty until proven innocent.

What Happens When People Stop Trusting Unfamiliar Contacts?

Cloaked reports that 66% of Americans have missed an important call after screening or ignoring an unknown number. Around one third have missed a call from a doctor, hospital or healthcare provider because they expected it to be spam.

The research also reports that almost 8 in 10 Americans rarely or never answer calls or texts from numbers they do not recognise. More than one quarter never answer unknown calls, 23% let them go to voicemail, and 21% ignore them because they assume they are spam. Phone calls have become something many people screen first and answer later.

People are becoming much more selective about handing over personal information as well. According to Cloaked, 55% refuse to share their real phone number on social media. Many also avoid giving it to online shops, dating apps and loyalty programmes. A phone number has become something people protect instead of handing over without much thought – even features such as the WhatsApp username reservations are responses to this.

The scale of online crime helps explain these habits. The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center received 1,008,597 cybercrime complaints during 2025. Reported losses passed $20 billion for the first time, and Americans now submit almost 3,000 cybercrime complaints every day.

Which Scams Are Catching People Out?

Spam calls may be the most common, although they are not the scams people fear most. Cloaked reports that phishing emails are viewed as the most convincing type of online fraud. Around 40% of respondents said phishing emails looked the most believable, and 32% said they were the scam they were most likely to engage with accidentally. This is interesting considering in the public sector, employees are confident in their ability to spot phishing emails – even though they are not as great at spotting them to begin with.

Social media direct messages followed behind phishing emails, with spam texts coming next. Robocalls generated the most frustration, although they scored much lower as something people were likely to fall for. People seem to have become familiar with unwanted phone calls, although more convincing online scams continue finding new ways to catch victims.

Many people also refuse to trade personal information for convenience. Cloaked reports that 42% of Americans do not trust any of the major phone carriers, tech companies or government agencies listed in its survey to handle their phone data responsibly. Even when offered a 95% reduction in spam calls, one in four respondents said they would not share personal information.

Are These Expectations Following Through To Newer Technology?

The same kinds of concerns now follow technologies that collect personal data in different ways. Facial recognition has become another example of people asking how their information is stored, who can access it and what rules are in place.

Research commissioned by Face Int UK and carried out by Opinium reports that 69% of UK adults believe the public should have a say in how facial recognition technology is used throughout the UK. Another 57% are worried about how images of their face are stored.

People also want stricter safeguards before accepting the technology more widely, which is fair. Face Int UK reports that 43% want clear laws governing facial recognition, 30% want proof that systems are accurate and fair, and 29% want stronger protection for images and personal data.

Tony Kounnis, CEO of Face Int UK and Europe, said, “The public’s expectations for facial recognition technology are entirely reasonable. Our research shows that people want greater evidence and control to ensure the technology is fair, effective and that their data is properly protected, with real consequences if those standards are not met.

“That should be a wake up call for the industry, because it shows that trust is so closely linked to standards. To get the public to buy in to FRT, organisations both developing and deploying it need to show that the technology is governed properly, performs fairly and is backed by clear rules. The pathway to greater trust is there. Now it is up to the providers, regulators and users to answer the call.”

Cyber crime has changed small things like message inboxes and phone logs, which in turn has changed everyday habits. People think twice before answering calls, clicking messages, sharing personal information or even accepting new technologies into their lives. Those little decisions now happen almost every day, and they have become the norm for how modern technology is used.