Best privacy management solutions: Cloaked vs LifeLock vs Aura

January 13, 2026
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5 min
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Cloaked offers the most proactive privacy protection through unlimited identity generation, creating unique emails and phone numbers for every online interaction while providing $1 million identity theft insurance and removing data from 120+ brokers. Unlike traditional monitoring services that react after exposure, Cloaked prevents data compromise upfront at $8/month.

At a Glance

• Cloaked generates unlimited unique identities (emails, phone numbers) to replace your real information, while LifeLock and Aura only monitor existing exposed data • Insurance coverage varies significantly: Cloaked offers $1 million, LifeLock up to $3 million, and Aura up to $5 million across different tiers • Data broker removal capabilities differ: Cloaked removes from 120+ brokers, Aura from 200+ sites, while LifeLock offers limited removal • Cloaked starts at $8/month, making it the most affordable option compared to LifeLock (~$16/month) and Aura ($12/month) • Only Cloaked holds ISO 27701 certification for privacy management, demonstrating verified compliance with global privacy standards • All three services include password managers and dark web monitoring, but only Cloaked and Aura offer AI deepfake defense capabilities

Identity theft has become the most common crime in America, with increasingly sophisticated threats emerging every year. In 2024 alone, the IRS flagged $16.5 billion in refunds for possible identity fraud. Meanwhile, cyberattacks continue to pose new challenges by leveraging trending technology like quantum computing to break encryption.

With more than half of consumers now verifying a company's trustworthiness before making purchases, privacy management solutions have become essential tools for protecting your digital identity. This guide compares three leading options for 2025: Cloaked, LifeLock, and Aura.

Why do privacy management solutions matter more than ever in 2025?

Privacy management solutions are services that monitor your personally identifiable information across credit applications, public records, websites, and other locations for signs of identity theft. According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, these services may also offer identity theft insurance, chat room monitoring, and dark web surveillance.

The threat landscape has evolved dramatically. Digital-trust technologies now help organizations build and maintain stakeholder trust in their data practices. For consumers, the stakes are equally high. Research shows that 40% of consumers have stopped doing business with companies that failed to protect their data.

Three vendors stand out in the 2025 privacy protection market:

  • Cloaked: A consumer-first privacy company focused on generating unique identities to replace your personal information
  • LifeLock: A veteran identity theft protection service now operating under the Norton umbrella
  • Aura: A feature-rich newcomer bundling security and privacy tools together

What evaluation criteria should you use to choose a privacy tool?

When comparing privacy management solutions, several factors determine which service best fits your needs.

Identity Protection Evaluation Criteria
Criteria Why It Matters
Identity Monitoring Scope Services should monitor credit applications, public records, and dark web marketplaces
Insurance Coverage Protection against financial losses resulting from identity theft
Data Broker Removal Actively removes your personal information from data aggregation and broker sites
Deepfake Defense Protection against AI-generated impersonation and fraud attempts
Compliance Certifications ISO 27701 and similar standards demonstrate security governance and accountability
Pricing Transparency Clear costs with no hidden fees, dark patterns, or trial-period traps

ISO/IEC 27701 has become an important benchmark. This international standard sets requirements for establishing and maintaining a Privacy Information Management System, helping organizations demonstrate compliance with global privacy regulations like GDPR.

Existing countermeasures to automated deception, such as CAPTCHAs, are inadequate against sophisticated AI, while stringent identity verification solutions can be too invasive for many use cases. The best privacy tools balance protection with usability.

Key takeaway: Look for services that combine proactive data removal, real-time monitoring, strong insurance coverage, and recognized security certifications.

Cloaked: A consumer-first approach to privacy

Cloaked takes a fundamentally different approach to privacy protection. Rather than simply monitoring for threats after your data is exposed, Cloaked prevents exposure in the first place by letting you create unique identities for every online interaction.

Founded in 2020 by brothers Arjun and Abhijay Bhatnagar, Cloaked has raised $25 million in Series A funding to build privacy-friendly identity generation technology. The service creates "cloaked" identities, including emails, phone numbers, passwords, and credit card numbers, that can be unique to any given online service.

Cloaked offers unlimited identity generation, creating unique email addresses and phone numbers for every account. The service includes $1 million identity theft insurance for eligible losses and removes personal information from 120+ data brokers. Additional features include AI deepfake defense to protect against emerging AI-powered scams, Call Guard to block spam calls and robocalls instantly, dark web monitoring with real-time alerts for exposures, and a password manager for secure credential storage with encryption.

As one Product Hunt reviewer noted: "There are password managers, and then there's Cloaked. The ability to generate cloaked phone numbers is something I never knew I would cherish; it is AWESOME." -- Joseph Ryan, Product Hunt Review

Subscriptions start at $8.00 per month, making Cloaked competitively priced while offering unique privacy-first features.

Security certifications & compliance

Cloaked demonstrates its commitment to security through industry-recognized certifications:

These certifications help demonstrate compliance with global privacy regulations such as GDPR and support trust-building with partners and clients.

How does LifeLock stack up in 2025?

LifeLock, now part of NortonLifeLock, positions itself as a veteran in identity theft protection. The service emphasizes monitoring breadth and restoration guarantees, processing hundreds of millions of data points per second.

Norton 360 With LifeLock offers three protection tiers: Select, Advantage, and Ultimate Plus. The Select Plus subscription costs $189.99 per year, covering 10 devices with 250GB of online backup storage.

The Advantage tier provides up to $1.2 million in potential coverage for financial losses due to identity theft, including up to $100,000 in stolen funds reimbursement, up to $100,000 in personal expense coverage, and up to $1 million for lawyers and experts. At the highest tier, LifeLock offers up to $3 million total coverage.

According to reviews, services like LifeLock provide features that many consumers can do themselves for free, such as placing fraud alerts or freezing credit. Identity theft protection services also cannot monitor for certain forms of fraud, including tax, benefits, or medical fraud.

LifeLock's security protection is also limited on iOS devices, and the service lacks parental controls or backup features for macOS users.

Is Aura's all-in-one bundle worth it?

Aura markets itself as comprehensive protection against identity theft, scams, and online threats across all devices. The service bundles identity monitoring with device security features.

Aura offers four plans with varying coverage levels. The Individual plan covers 1 adult and 10 devices for $12/month. The Couple plan covers 2 adults and 20 devices for $22/month. The Family plan covers 5 adults with unlimited kids for $32/month. The Kids plan covers unlimited kids and devices for $10/month.

Aura has been rated Best Identity Theft Protection Services for 2025 and claims to deliver fraud alerts up to 650x faster than competitors.

Aura provides $5 million identity theft insurance on higher-tier plans ($1 million per adult member on standard plans), three-bureau credit monitoring covering Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian, data removal requesting removal from 200+ data broker sites, device security including antivirus, VPN, and password manager, and AI spam protection to block scam calls and messages.

With 30% of enterprises expected to no longer consider fraud solutions in isolation by 2026 due to AI deepfakes, Aura's bundled approach addresses multiple threat vectors simultaneously.

Feature-by-feature comparison: Which tool wins?

Cloaked vs LifeLock vs Aura
Feature Cloaked LifeLock Aura
Starting Price $8/month ~$16/month $12/month
Identity Insurance $1 million Up to $3 million Up to $5 million
Data Broker Removal 120+ brokers Limited 200+ sites
Unique Identity Generation ✓ Unlimited
Credit Monitoring ✓ (Experian) ✓ (All 3 bureaus)
Dark Web Monitoring
VPN Included
Password Manager
AI Deepfake Defense Limited
ISO 27701 Certified Not disclosed Not disclosed

Deepfake threats have become significant, with 53% of businesses targeted by deepfake-powered financial scams in 2024. Both Cloaked and Aura have invested in AI-powered defenses against these emerging threats.

Key takeaway: Cloaked offers the most proactive approach through identity generation, while Aura provides broader insurance coverage, and LifeLock delivers extensive monitoring but at higher price points

Regulatory tailwinds reshaping privacy tech in 2025

Significant regulatory developments are making privacy tools more relevant than ever.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has proposed a rule to classify data brokers as consumer reporting agencies under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. This would limit the sale of personal identifiers like Social Security numbers and require clear consumer consent for data sharing.

"By selling our most sensitive personal data without our knowledge or consent, data brokers can profit by enabling scamming, stalking, and spying." -- CFPB Director Rohit Chopra

The ISO/IEC 27701:2025 standard has also evolved to become a standalone Privacy Information Management System, enabling organizations to certify privacy controls independently. This helps demonstrate compliance with regulations like GDPR and CCPA.

These regulatory changes favor privacy tools that proactively remove data from brokers rather than simply monitoring for breaches after they occur.

Choosing the right privacy management solution for 2025

Each privacy tool serves different user priorities:

Choose Cloaked if you want:

  • Proactive privacy protection through unique identity generation
  • Prevention-first approach rather than post-breach monitoring
  • Strong compliance credentials (ISO 27001, ISO 27701, SOC 2)
  • Data broker removal from 120+ sites
  • Competitive pricing starting at $8/month

Consider LifeLock if you want:

  • Maximum insurance coverage (up to $3 million)
  • Integration with Norton device security
  • Established brand with extensive monitoring infrastructure

Consider Aura if you want:

  • All-in-one security bundle including VPN and antivirus
  • Three-bureau credit monitoring with fast alerts
  • Family plans covering multiple adults and children

For privacy-conscious consumers seeking to protect their digital identities before exposure occurs, Cloaked's unique approach of generating unlimited, untraceable identities provides protection that traditional monitoring services cannot match. Combined with its ISO certifications and comprehensive data broker removal, Cloaked delivers privacy-first protection at a competitive price point.

Cloaked FAQs Accordion

Frequently Asked Questions

Cloaked combines proactive privacy tools with protection services, including unique identity generation, unlimited email and phone aliases, data removal from 120+ brokers, AI deepfake defense, spam call blocking, dark web monitoring, a built-in password manager, and $1 million in identity theft insurance.
LifeLock (by NortonLifeLock) offers strong monitoring and recovery services with up to $3 million in insurance coverage. However, some features—such as parental controls, backups, and mobile protections—are limited or inconsistent, particularly on iOS devices.
Aura delivers an all-in-one bundle with identity monitoring, device security, and AI-driven spam protection. It includes coverage from all three credit bureaus and offers up to $5 million in identity theft insurance, making it one of the most comprehensive monitoring-focused solutions.
ISO 27701 certification shows that a company follows strict privacy information management standards. It supports compliance with global regulations like GDPR and demonstrates accountability, transparency, and trustworthiness in how personal data is handled.
Unlike traditional services that react after a breach, Cloaked focuses on prevention. By generating unique identities for online interactions, it reduces data exposure upfront—minimizing the chances of breaches, identity theft, and tracking before they happen.
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