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The most reliable way to limit what an AI chatbot learns about you is to share less in the first place: remove identifiers, provide only the relevant excerpt, and avoid sensitive uploads or connected apps unless they are necessary and authorized. Privacy controls can further reduce some uses of your chats, but turning off model improvement is not the same as deleting conversations or guaranteeing zero retention.
Start by minimizing what goes into the prompt
Before sending a message, ask whether the chatbot needs each identifying detail to answer. If not, omit it. A role or broad description is often enough: write “my manager” instead of a person’s name, or “a customer” instead of including someone’s contact information.
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- Leave out names, email addresses, phone numbers, exact home or work addresses, account numbers, government identifiers, and authentication codes when they are not needed.
- Generalize precise dates, locations, and amounts if exact values do not affect the answer.
- Share a short, relevant passage rather than an entire email thread, report, or record.
- Do not submit passwords, financial account details, private health records, or confidential work material unless there is a clear authorized need and the service and workflow are approved for it.
- Consider other people’s privacy, too. Remove their identifying details unless you have a legitimate reason and permission to share them.
The Australian Office of the Australian Information Commissioner recommends that organisations avoid entering personal information, particularly sensitive information, into publicly available generative AI tools as a matter of best practice. This is guidance for organisations in Australia, not a universal legal rule for every chatbot user worldwide. See the OAIC guidance for organisations using commercially available AI products.
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An upload may disclose far more than the text you intended to ask about. A document can contain names, signatures, email addresses, account identifiers, metadata, or unrelated pages. Screenshots and photos can reveal information around the main subject; a connected email, storage, or photo app can bring linked content into the conversation.
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- Before uploading, remove unnecessary identifiers, metadata, signatures, and unrelated material.
- Check the whole image or page for background details, not just the part you meant the chatbot to read.
- Review what an app connection can access and whether its contents could be reviewed or used for service improvement.
- Do not connect an account containing confidential information unless the service and connection are appropriate for that data.
Google’s Gemini Apps notice says shared material can include files, videos, screens, photos, imported chats, and browser-page content. Google cautions users not to enter confidential information they would not want a reviewer to see or Google to use to improve its services. Its notice also advises against connecting apps that contain personal or confidential information a user would not want used for training or seen by a reviewer. Details and controls can vary by account, including workplace accounts. Read the Gemini Apps Privacy Hub and Google’s information about Connected Apps.
Know what common privacy controls do—and do not do
Chatbot controls are separate. Model-improvement settings, conversation history, deletion, memory or personalization, temporary chats, and connected-app permissions address different aspects of data use. A setting that limits one use does not by itself establish that a conversation is never stored, reviewed, or processed for safety.
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ChatGPT
For ChatGPT, OpenAI says you can turn off “Improve the model for everyone” under Settings > Data controls. New conversations are then not used to train OpenAI models, but regular saved conversations can still appear in chat history. Memory is a separate personalization control. Temporary Chats do not appear in history, do not create or update memories, and are not used to improve models while temporary; OpenAI says they may be retained for up to 30 days for safety. Managed workspaces can have their own retention and access policies, and available controls depend on the account and workspace. OpenAI’s Data Controls FAQ and Memory FAQ describe these distinctions.
Claude
Anthropic’s consumer privacy information says a deleted Claude conversation is removed from chat history immediately and deleted from backend storage systems within 30 days. If a consumer allows chats or coding sessions to be used to improve Claude, Anthropic may retain data in de-identified form for up to five years in training pipelines. That retention statement applies to new or resumed chats after the improvement setting has been enabled; it should not be assumed to describe Anthropic’s commercial products or API. See Anthropic’s consumer data-retention information.
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Gemini
For signed-in personal accounts, Google says users can review and delete Gemini Apps Activity and turn Keep Activity off. But Google says chats may still be used to respond and protect Google, users, and the public, including with help from human reviewers, even when Keep Activity is off or temporary chats are used. This is why an activity setting should not be treated as a promise of no review or processing. For workplace or school accounts, behavior and available controls may differ. Check the Gemini Apps Privacy Hub.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Choose a safe workflow for sensitive information
- Decide whether the chatbot needs the information. If the task can be completed with a fictional example, a generalized description, or a public source, use that instead of personal or confidential data.
- Prepare only the minimum necessary content. Remove identifiers and unrelated material from prompts and files; do not rely on an upload being safer than pasted text.
- Check the account and service controls. Review model-improvement use, history, deletion, memory or personalization, temporary-chat behavior, uploads, and connected apps. Confirm you are using the intended personal or managed account.
- Use only an approved service for sensitive material. If your workplace or school has a designated tool and rules, follow them. If you cannot establish that the service is approved for the material, do not submit it.
- Recheck when circumstances change. Settings and product policies can change, and one account’s controls may not match another’s. Review the relevant official page when you switch accounts or before sharing sensitive information.
These steps reduce exposure; they cannot guarantee that a provider will never process or retain content. OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google describe different settings, retention periods, review practices, and account scopes in their respective official pages. Availability and policy terms can change, so check the current terms for the exact service, plan, region, and account type you use.
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