Privacy and your data
What happens to what you type into AI tools, and how to protect personal information.
What is it?
When you use an AI tool, your prompts, files, images and voice recordings are usually sent to the provider's servers to be processed. Depending on the service and your settings, this data may be stored, reviewed for safety, or used to improve future models.
Protecting your privacy means knowing what you share, reading the provider's data policy, and using the controls available, such as turning off chat history or training use. It also means respecting other people's privacy by not uploading their personal details without permission.
Which models use it?
- Consumer chat apps such as ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini have privacy settings and published data policies you can review.
- Business and API plans from major providers often offer stricter data handling than free consumer plans.
- Some AI features run on-device, so certain data can be processed without leaving your phone or computer.
- Open models such as Llama, Mistral or Gemma can be run locally, keeping data on your own hardware.
How to use it
- Read the privacy policy and settings of each AI tool you use, especially whether your data is used for training.
- Turn off chat history or training use if the tool offers it and you prefer not to share.
- Remove or replace names, addresses, ID numbers, passwords and financial details before pasting text.
- Do not paste confidential work documents into a tool your employer has not approved.
- Ask permission before uploading photos, voices or messages of other people.
- Delete old chats and uploaded files you no longer need.
Benefits
- Good habits let you get value from AI while limiting exposure of sensitive information.
- Anonymised prompts usually work just as well as ones with real personal details.
- Understanding settings helps you choose the right tool for private or work tasks.
Limits and risks
- Policies differ by provider and can change, so you need to check them yourself.
- Data you shared in the past may already be stored according to the policy at that time.
- Even with training turned off, data may be kept for a period for safety or legal reasons.
- Laws on data protection differ by country, so your rights depend on where you live.
Prompt template
Copy it, replace the parts in [brackets] and paste it into any AI chat.
I want to use AI for this task but keep personal data safe. Rewrite the text below by replacing every personal detail (names, emails, phone numbers, addresses, ID or account numbers, company names) with neutral placeholders like [PERSON_1] and [COMPANY_1]. Then list the replacements so I can restore them later on my own device. Text: [paste text]
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