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Privacy: What Not to Tell a Chatbot

What can happen to what you type into AI tools, and a simple rule for deciding what to share and what to shield.

  • 6 min
  • +50 XP
  • 2 knowledge checks

By the end of this station, you can:

  • Explain why information typed into AI tools may not stay private
  • Sort personal information into safe-to-share and never-share categories
  • Check an AI tool's privacy settings and policies before relying on it

A chat box is not a diary

Chatting with an AI tool can feel private — it's just you and a text box. But what you type is sent to the company that runs the service. Depending on that company's policy and your settings, conversations may be stored, reviewed by people for safety or quality, or used to improve future models.

Policies differ a lot between tools, between free and paid versions, and between personal and school accounts. The safe assumption: don't type anything you wouldn't be comfortable with a stranger at that company reading.

Key terms

Personally identifiable information (PII)
Any information that can identify a specific person, such as a full name combined with an address, a phone number, a student ID, or a government ID number.
Data retention
How long a service keeps the information you give it, and what it is allowed to do with that information during that time.
Privacy policy
The document where a company explains what data it collects, how it uses and shares that data, and what choices you have.

Share or shield?

Usually fine to share

  • General questions about a topic you're studying
  • Your own writing with personal details removed
  • Made-up examples that illustrate your real problem
  • Public information that's already widely available

Shield — never share

  • Passwords, login codes and security answers
  • Home address, phone number, student or government ID numbers
  • Health, financial or other sensitive personal details
  • Other people's private information, photos or messages

Interactive lab

Share or Shield?

You're about to type something into an AI chatbot. For each item, decide: is it OK to share, or should you shield it?

  1. 1.A general question about how photosynthesis works
  2. 2.Your home address
  3. 3.Your school login password
  4. 4.A screenshot of a friend's private messages
  5. 5.Your essay topic, with no personal details
  6. 6.Your medical symptoms together with your full name
  7. 7.A made-up example budget for a class project
  8. 8.Your phone number

Answered 0 of 8

What to notice: If it identifies you, unlocks an account, or belongs to someone else, shield it. When you need help with something personal, swap in made-up details.

Knowledge check 1

+10 XP on first try
You want help writing an email to your counselor about a family situation. What's the most privacy-smart way to use an AI tool?

Before you rely on an AI tool

  1. Check which account you're using

    Your school may provide approved AI tools with different privacy protections than personal accounts. Use the one your school recommends for schoolwork.

  2. Look at the settings

    Many tools let you turn off chat history or opt out of your conversations being used for training. Find out what your tool offers.

  3. Skim the privacy policy

    Look for what's collected, how long it's kept, and whether people may review conversations. Search the policy for words like "retain," "train" and "share."

  4. Strip the details

    Replace real names and identifying details with placeholders like "Student A" before pasting anything in.

Knowledge check 2

+10 XP on first try
A chatbot is helping you debug code for a club website, and the code contains the club's database password. What should you do?
Learn moreWhy do companies keep conversations at all?

Common reasons include letting you see your chat history, investigating misuse, fixing problems, and improving their products. Some services also use conversations as training data unless you opt out.

None of these reasons are automatically bad — but they mean your words may exist somewhere beyond your screen. Knowing that lets you make an informed choice.

Finish this station

Answer every knowledge check (right or wrong) to unlock completion.

  • Knowledge check 1 — not answered yet
  • Knowledge check 2 — not answered yet

0/2 checks answered