The AI Privacy Checkup

Most AI chatbots keep your chats, remember things about you, and can use what you type to train their next version unless you say no. None of that is hidden, but the switches are buried in settings. Open the app you use, tick each box as you go, and you're done.

Written in plain English. Every app step comes from the company's own help page, checked October 4, 2026.

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What never to paste

Pick your app

ChatGPT

Stop training on your chats. Web: Settings > Data controls > Improve the model for everyone, turn it off, then Done. Phone: open the sidebar, tap your profile icon, then Data controls and turn off Improve the model for everyone. Your new chats won't be used for training; your history stays. Check what it remembers. Settings > Personalization > Memory. Delete anything you don't want kept, or turn Memory off. Turning it off doesn't delete past chats; deleting a chat doesn't delete a memory made from it, so remove both. Use a temporary chat for private questions. Temporary chats don't appear in your history, don't create memories and aren't used for training (OpenAI may keep them up to 30 days for safety). Know the thumbs catch. Even with training off, pressing thumbs up or down on an answer can let OpenAI use that whole conversation for training.

From OpenAI's help pages: Data controls · Memory

Claude

Stop training on your chats. Settings > Privacy, then switch off Help improve our AI models (same path in the phone app). New chats won't be used to train future models. Check what it remembers. Settings > Memory. Pause memory keeps what it knows but stops using it; Reset memory deletes it all for good. You can also switch off Search and reference chats there. Use an incognito chat for private questions. Start a new chat and click the ghost icon (top right). Incognito chats aren't saved to your history or memory and aren't used for training; Anthropic keeps them for 30 days.

From Anthropic's help pages: Model improvement setting · Memory · Incognito chats

Gemini

Turn off Keep Activity. On gemini.google.com: Settings & help > Activity, then Turn off (or Turn off and delete activity). For adults it's on by default. While it's on, Google says your chats help improve its services, including training AI, with help from human reviewers. With it off, chats are still kept up to 72 hours. Delete old chats and set auto-delete. Same Activity page: Delete (last hour, last day, all time or a custom range), and choose auto-delete after 3, 18 or 36 months (18 is the default). Don't type what you wouldn't want a person to read. Google's privacy page says reviewed chats are kept for up to 3 years, disconnected from your account. Temporary chats aren't used for that review.

From Google's help pages: Manage & delete your Gemini activity · Gemini Apps Privacy Hub

Microsoft Copilot

Stop training on your chats. Open your profile, then Privacy, and turn off Training on conversation activity and Training on voice conversations. Microsoft updated the Copilot app in August 2026, so the exact menu can differ: the help page shows the path for each version. Check what it remembers. Ask Copilot "What do you know about me?" and tell it to forget anything you don't want kept, or turn off personalization and memory in your profile's Memory settings. Optional: personalized ads. Microsoft can personalize ads using your activity; switch off See ads that interest you in your Microsoft ad settings.

From Microsoft's help pages: Copilot privacy controls · Privacy FAQ

What never to paste into any chatbot

Passwords, PINs, one-time codes, or your Social Security, passport or license numbers. Bank or card numbers and full statements. Black out account numbers before asking about a bill. Medical results with your name on them. Ask about the test or the term, not your file. Other people's private details: a friend's message, a coworker's file, a child's photo. Work documents your employer hasn't cleared for AI tools.

Two things the switches don't change. Turning off training doesn't delete chats you already have; delete those separately if you want them gone. And every company keeps some chats for a while for safety checks, even with training off.

Steps checked against each company's help pages on October 4, 2026. Apps move their menus often; if yours looks different, the linked help page has the latest steps. Doing this for a teen? See the Kids & Teens AI Kit.

All done. Nice work. Every box on this page is ticked. Want more? The kits below take a few minutes each.

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What never to paste into any chatbot

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