Privacy and Data Protection.
Every prompt you send is data. Know where it goes, who sees it, and what's safe to share.
After this lesson you'll know
- What happens to the data you send to AI models
- The 5 things you should NEVER paste into an AI prompt
- How to use AI safely with sensitive information
- Business vs personal account privacy differences
The Reality
Your prompts aren't private by default.
When you type something into an AI chat, you're sending data to a server. Depending on the provider, your plan, and the settings — that data might be stored, reviewed by staff, or used to train future models.
Most major AI providers (including Anthropic, OpenAI, and Google) have different policies for free vs paid accounts, and for consumer vs business plans. The differences matter enormously:
Free / Consumer Plans
- May use your data for training
- Conversations may be reviewed
- Less control over data retention
- Fewer compliance guarantees
Business / API Plans
- Typically no training on your data
- Stricter access controls
- Data retention policies you can configure
- Compliance certifications (SOC 2, etc.)
Rule of thumb: If you're using a free or consumer plan, treat every prompt as if it could be seen by someone else.
The Red Lines
5 things to NEVER paste into an AI prompt.
1. Passwords & API keys — Never. Not even "just to check something." Use a password manager.
2. Other people's personal data — Names + emails, health records, financial info. If it could identify a person, don't share it.
3. Confidential business information — Trade secrets, unreleased financials, legal strategy, M&A details.
4. Private communications — Other people's emails, DMs, or messages without their consent.
5. Regulated data — HIPAA health info, FERPA student records, PCI credit card numbers, data covered by NDA.
Safe Practices
How to use AI safely with sensitive work.
You don't have to avoid AI for sensitive topics. You just need to be smart about it:
1
Anonymize before you paste. Replace real names with "Client A," real numbers with approximations, real companies with "[Company]."
2
Describe, don't paste. Instead of pasting a contract, describe the key terms. "I have a SaaS contract with a 12-month term and auto-renewal. How should I negotiate the exit clause?"
3
Use business-tier plans. If your work involves sensitive data regularly, use plans that guarantee no training on your data.
4
Check your company's AI policy. Many organizations now have rules about what can and can't go into AI tools. Know yours.
5
Ask hypothetical questions. Instead of sharing the real situation, make it hypothetical: "If a company had this situation, what would you recommend?"
Key Concepts
Review the 5 things to never share with AI.
Review
Match the data type to the reason it should not be shared.
What NOT to Paste into AI
Tap one on the left, then its match on the right
Knowledge Check