10 rules for using AI without exposing your data

Go to Settings > Data Controls (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini) and turn off the option to use your conversations to improve the model. 30 seconds. Do it now.

Never paste this into an AI chat:

• Bank card numbers or bank account details
• Passwords or access codes
• Medical data or health records
• ID card or passport numbers

AI isn't a vault. It's a conversation.

Before pasting a contract, a report or a confidential email, apply one or more of these techniques:

• Masking or pseudonymization: replace names, addresses, emails with fake identifiers. E.g. "John Smith" becomes "[NAME]", "client@company.com" becomes "[EMAIL]".
• Removing sensitive data: strip out any personal information (phone numbers, IP addresses, etc.).
• Aggregation: group data together so it can't be traced back to a single person.
• Generalization: replace precise details with broader categories. E.g. give an age range instead of an exact age.
• Perturbation (adding noise): insert small changes or statistical noise to prevent identifying individuals.
• Removing metadata: strip file metadata (dates, location) before sharing.
• Access control and encryption: restrict who can see the data and encrypt files before sharing them.

These techniques are often combined to guarantee a high level of anonymization. AI can still help you, without exposing the real info.

The free version isn't the professional version. Paid plans usually come with stricter privacy guarantees. For business or client data, invest in the right plan.

If you work with third parties (clients, partners, beneficiaries), you have a legal responsibility. Pasting their data into an AI tool without their consent can violate GDPR or local data protection laws.

On ChatGPT: Settings > Data Controls > Turn off chat history. Your conversations will no longer be saved or used.

Plugins connected to your AI (browser, email, calendar) have access to more data than you think. Only install the ones whose privacy policy you've actually checked.

Some AI tools store your data on servers in the US, others in Europe or Asia. If you handle sensitive data, check server locations in the terms of use.

You don't need to read everything. Just look for these 3 points:

• Is my data used to train the model?
• How long is it kept?
• Can I ask for it to be deleted?

AI can be wrong, oversimplify, or hallucinate. The responsibility for protecting data, yours and other people's, stays human. Always check before you validate.