Bulletproof Glass Effect
The paradox in which a visible safety or privacy measure — meant to reassure — instead signals danger and reduces trust, much like bulletproof glass in a shop that makes visitors assume the neighborhood is unsafe.
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Origin
Marketing researchers Aaron R. Brough, David A. Norton, Shannon L. Sciarappa, and Leslie K. John coined the term in a 2022 paper published in the Journal of Marketing Research. Through a field study and five experiments, they showed that prominently displayed privacy notices can increase consumers' feelings of vulnerability and decrease purchase interest — the opposite of what managers intend.
Updated February 22, 2026