The internet knows too much about you – every website tracks your clicks, every app watches over your location, and every email provider scans your messages. Fed up with this surveillance, people are fighting back, and more than 1.75 billion users now use privacy tools to vanish online – and the movement is just getting started.
86% of Internet Users Are Already Masking Their Digital Footprints
The numbers can tell us the truth – and according to 2025 data, 86% of internet users have taken some concrete steps to hide their online activities. So, they’re clearing cookies, using fake names, encrypting emails, and routing their connections through VPNs – but all that seems to be a standard practice now.
Americans lead this charge, with 32% actively using VPNs in 2025, which is around 75 million people who’ve decided their internet provider doesn’t need to know what they’re doing online. Young users lead the movement, with 39% of global VPN users being between 16 and 24 years. Well, they grew up watching social media companies sell their data, and they’re not playing that game anymore.
The change happened pretty fast, though. Between 2019 and 2022, work-from-home VPN use jumped 47.7%, while personal VPN use exploded by 56.1%. People discovered these tools during lockdowns, but they kept using them for a simple reason: privacy feels good. But when you realize you can browse without leaving tracks, why would you go back?
VPNs Hit Mass Market – Pay Some Change for Complete Invisibility
Virtual Private Networks transformed from corporate IT tools into consumer essentials almost overnight. The average VPN now stands just $3.65 per month on a yearly plan – so, for less than a coffee, you can completely disappear online.
In the UK alone, 49% of people use VPNs on at least some devices. Another 76% know what VPNs do, even if they haven’t started using them yet.
But the real problem is that 68% of Americans still don’t use VPNs or don’t know they exist, up from 54% in 2024. The privacy gap is growing, and educated users now vanish online while everyone else stays exposed – all that makes two internets: one where users control their data, another where data controls users.
Different countries show wildly different adoption rates – UAE citizens lead at 43.18% VPN usage, followed by Qatar at 39.2%. Well, the main reason for this is that government censorship actually pushes its people toward privacy tools. When you can’t access basic websites without a VPN, adoption happens naturally. At the same time, Japan sits at only 1.48% usage – when your government doesn’t block websites, fewer people seek workarounds.
No KYC Casinos Prove Anonymous Services Actually Work
So, here’s where things get interesting – online casinos are the sphere that’s leading the way with a new privacy model that’s spreading across the internet. No KYC (Know Your Customer) casinos let users gamble without providing any personal information. No name, no address, no ID – you can finish everything with just your crypto wallet.
Such platforms work completely on crypto and blockchain tech. You register with just an email or wallet address, deposit Bitcoin or Ethereum, play, and withdraw winnings – all anonymously. The tech presents the ultimate choice for anyone who seeks privacy: be part of something online without sacrificing your identity.
The amazing success of these sites pushed a bigger conversation, though. So, if casinos can operate without knowing who you are, why do social media platforms need your phone number? Also, why do news sites demand your email, since the no-KYC model proves most “security” requirements are actually data collection disguised as protection.
Email Encryption Skyrockets – $23 Billion Market by 2030
Email seemed dead five years ago – and then hackers reminded everyone why encryption is so important. Even though the email encryption market will grow from $9.3 billion in 2025 to $23.3 billion by 2030, companies aren’t alone in this – regular users want encrypted email as well.
Phishing attacks explain why. Japan and Singapore saw 37% more phishing attempts in 2025. Australia and India faced 27% increases. So, when criminals target your inbox daily, encryption becomes essential. Healthcare providers led the charge – HIPAA regulations forced them to encrypt patient communications. Now patients expect that same protection everywhere.
The best part is that encryption has gotten cheap, and services that cost thousands for enterprises now come free for individuals. You don’t need any technical knowledge either, since they work like Gmail but protect your messages automatically.
The biggest corporations noticed as well – Google launched end-to-end encryption for Gmail in April 2025, while Microsoft improved its encryption tools. Even regular companies realize customers need some privacy. The days of scanning emails for ad targeting are ending – and not because companies grew consciences, but because users found alternatives.
Governments Fight Back Against the Privacy
Not everyone celebrates this privacy movement. Governments all around the world push legislation to end online anonymity. The UK’s Online Safety Bill wants platforms to verify user ages – meaning everyone uploads government IDs to browse websites. Similar laws spread across Europe, Australia, and parts of America.
The excuses sound reasonable – protect children, stop terrorism, prevent abuse… But critics point out that these laws create massive surveillance systems. Once everyone’s verified everywhere, anonymity dies completely. Researchers, activists, and journalists who depend on anonymity for safety lose their protection. Domestic abuse victims can’t hide from stalkers, and whistleblowers can’t expose corruption.
The data shows why people resist – 70% believe anonymity brings online abuse, but 53% also recognize it helps people seek help for sensitive problems. So, when someone needs addiction counseling or mental health support, anonymity might be the only reason they reach out. Remove that protection, and vulnerable people suffer most.
Some countries already banned VPNs entirely. Russia outlawed them in 2017, while China restricts them heavily. Yet usage in these countries remains high – people find ways around blocks because privacy matters more than convenience. When governments say “you have nothing to fear if you have nothing to hide,” citizens respond by hiding everything.
The Next Five Years – Privacy Tools Everywhere or Nowhere
We’re approaching a tipping point – and either privacy tools become so widespread that anonymity returns as a default, or governments and corporations successfully make a fully surveilled internet. The money suggests privacy wins – companies pour billions into encryption, VPNs, and anonymous services because demand keeps growing.
But the opposition grows stronger as well. Facial recognition, device fingerprinting, and AI behavior analysis make hiding harder. Companies also claim they need data to “improve services,” but users increasingly reject that bargain. So, why should watching a video mean surrendering your viewing history forever?
Right now, the main question is whether using these tools makes you suspicious – VPN users and encryption advocates are still “normal” internet users. If laws make privacy tools illegal or socially unacceptable, only criminals will use them. That’s the future privacy advocates fear most.
This is a submitted article.