To confer a sense of physical protection, tech companies are launching products and services that address personal safety concerns. The best solutions knit into pre-existing routines. See UK app Walksafe, which provides directions for low-crime walking routes, or Uber’s addition of a mid-trip emergency button.

In an increasingly online world, consumers’ protection safeguards must encompass their digital lives. From creating a safety-first metaverse, to tackling online stalking, to advancing children’s cyber-safety literacy, we explore how brands can help consumers stay secure online and retain autonomy over their virtual identity.

Tech-led protective services can also address safety concerns unique to urban and natural settings. Innovations across city infrastructure, danger alert systems and artificial-intelligence-enabled conservation are updating large-scale protective strategies for 21st-century issues.

To deliver their safety-enhancing technology, many digital brands are asking users for significant forfeits in privacy. However, as ubiquitous tracking tech begins to intersect with legal concerns, consumers are becoming savvier about their data confidentiality and their right to protect their digital lives.