How to Protect Your Privacy When Using AI Chatbots

AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Microsoft Copilot have become everyday tools for millions of people. But every prompt you type is data that gets collected, stored, and in many cases used to train future AI models. If you're not careful, you could be handing over personal information, financial details, or sensitive work data without realizing the consequences.

What Data Do AI Chatbots Actually Collect?

Most people assume their conversations with AI chatbots are private. They're not. Here's what major chatbot providers typically collect:

• Everything you type: Every prompt and conversation is logged, including personal details, questions about health conditions, financial information, and anything else you share.
• Account information: Your name, email address, phone number, and payment details if you're on a paid plan.
• Device and browser data: IP address, device type, operating system, browser fingerprint, and location data.
• Usage patterns: How often you use the service, session duration, features you interact with, and conversation topics.

By default, most AI chatbot providers use your conversations to train and improve their models. This means the personal details you share could influence future outputs — and could theoretically be surfaced in responses to other users.

Information You Should Never Share With AI Chatbots

Regardless of which chatbot you use, keep the following categories of information out of your prompts:

• Social Security numbers or government IDs
• Credit card numbers or bank account details
• Passwords or security questions
• Medical diagnoses or prescription information
• Your home address or exact location
• Children's personal information
• Proprietary work documents, source code, or trade secrets
• Client or customer data
• Legal documents or case details

If you need AI help with something that involves sensitive data, rephrase your prompt using generic or fictional details. Instead of "My SSN is 123-45-6789 and I need help with my tax return," try "Help me understand the steps for filing a federal tax return."

Privacy Settings to Change Right Now

ChatGPT (OpenAI)

1. Disable model training: Go to Settings > Data Controls > toggle off "Improve the model for everyone." This prevents your conversations from being used to train future models.
2. Turn off memory: Go to Settings > Personalization > Memory and disable "Reference saved memories" to prevent ChatGPT from remembering details across conversations.
3. Use Temporary Chat: Click the Temporary Chat option before starting a conversation. These chats won't be saved to your history or used for training, and OpenAI retains them for a maximum of 30 days.

Google Gemini

1. Turn off Gemini Apps Activity: Visit your Google Activity Controls and toggle off Gemini Apps Activity to stop Google from saving your conversations.
2. Delete past activity: Go to myactivity.google.com and remove previous Gemini conversations from your history.
3. Review connected services: Check which Google services Gemini can access and limit unnecessary connections.

Microsoft Copilot

1. Use without signing in: When possible, use Copilot without logging into your Microsoft account to reduce data linking.
2. Review privacy settings: Check your Microsoft Privacy Dashboard to control what data is collected and stored.
3. Clear conversation history: Regularly delete your Copilot conversation history through the interface.

Which AI Chatbots Are Most Privacy-Friendly?

Not all chatbots are created equal when it comes to privacy. Recent independent assessments have ranked the major platforms:

• Mistral AI's Le Chat: Ranked as the least privacy-invasive among major chatbots, with strong transparency about data use.
• ChatGPT: Scores well on transparency and offers clear opt-out mechanisms, though it collects extensive data by default.
• Meta AI: Rated as one of the worst for privacy, with broad data collection tied to the Meta ecosystem.
• Google Gemini: Deeply integrated with Google's data infrastructure, raising concerns about cross-service data sharing.

If privacy is a top priority, consider using open-source AI models that can run locally on your device, such as Llama or Mistral models via apps like Ollama. When the AI runs on your hardware, your data never leaves your machine.

Additional Privacy Tips for AI Users

• Use a separate email: Create a dedicated email address for AI chatbot accounts that isn't linked to your primary personal or work email.
• Enable two-factor authentication: Protect your AI accounts the same way you protect your banking — if someone accesses your chatbot history, they could learn a lot about you.
• Regularly delete conversations: Don't let months or years of chat history accumulate. Delete old conversations you no longer need.
• Read the privacy policy: Before using a new AI tool, check whether your data is used for training and whether you can opt out.
• Use a VPN: A VPN prevents the chatbot provider from logging your real IP address and approximate location.

The Bigger Privacy Picture

Protecting your privacy when using AI chatbots is important, but it's just one piece of your overall digital privacy. Data brokers already have extensive profiles on most people — your name, address, phone number, relatives, and more — all compiled from public records and online activity. Even if you're careful with AI tools, your personal information may already be widely available online.

PrivacyOn helps you take back control by monitoring and removing your personal data from over 100 data broker sites. Combined with smart AI privacy habits, a data removal service ensures that your personal information isn't just protected in one place — it's protected everywhere it matters.