ChatGPT has made a big difference in how people work and live. Every day, more than 100 million people use it to answer over a billion questions. But some people are worried about privacy. Experts say ChatGPT doesn’t handle users’ data safely, which is why it was even banned for a short time in Italy.
OpenAI, the company that made ChatGPT, clearly says that the data you type in may not be completely safe. Additionally, they might use your data to train the AI more, and sometimes, parts of it might even show up in someone else’s answers. Also, it can be reviewed by people engaged by the company to check for compliance with rules about how it can be used. And like any cloud service, your data is only as secure as the provider’s security measures.
These all point out to a fact that any data whatsoever entered into it should be considered as public information. Keeping that in mind, there are a few things you should never share with it—or with any chatbot that runs on the public cloud. Here’s a quick look at what to avoid
Be Aware Of Your Prompt
Most AI chatbots are built with rules to stop people from using them in wrong or harmful ways. If you ask something that sounds illegal or dangerous, it could get you into trouble. You should never ask a public chatbot how to do things like commit crimes, cheat people, or trick someone into doing something harmful. Many usage policies make it clear that illegal requests or seeking to use AI to carry out illegal activities could result in users being reported to authorities. These laws can vary widely depending on where you are.
Banking And Financial Information
It’s not a good idea to share things like bank or credit card numbers with AI chatbots. These details should only be entered on safe banking or shopping websites that protect your data. AI chatbots don’t have those protections. Once you enter the data, you can’t tell where it goes or how it will be used. This could lead to serious problems like fraud, identity theft, or getting tricked by hackers.
Workplace Or Proprietary Data
Be careful when using AI tools for work. Even if you’re just writing emails or summarizing files, putting in private company or client information can be risky. In 2023, Samsung banned ChatGPT because an employee shared secret code by mistake. Most free AI chatbots don’t promise to keep company data safe.
Passwords And Login Credentials
Some users may feel tempted to share login credentials. That’s a major red flag. AI chatbots are not password managers. They weren’t designed to store or protect PINs, security questions, or multi-factor authentication keys. If you need to manage logins, use a secure password manager instead.
Confidential Information
Everyone has a responsibility to keep sensitive information private, especially if they’re trusted with it. This includes professionals like doctors, lawyers, and accountants who are automatically expected to protect their clients’ details. But even regular employees have an unwritten rule to keep their company’s information safe. Sharing internal documents—like meeting notes, client records, or financial data—with AI tools like ChatGPT can break this trust and may even count as leaking trade secrets. For example, in 2023, Samsung had to ban ChatGPT after employees accidentally shared proprietary code. So, while it might be tempting to use AI to analyze or summarize work files, it’s not a good idea unless you’re completely sure the data is safe to share.
Medical Information
It might be tempting to ask ChatGPT for medical advice or help diagnosing health issues, but it’s important to be very careful. With recent updates, the chatbot can “remember” things you’ve said in past conversations and use that information to understand you better. However, this doesn’t come with any strong privacy protections. Once you type something in, you don’t really have control over where that information goes or how it’s used. This is especially risky for healthcare professionals or businesses—sharing patient details with AI tools could lead to serious legal trouble and damage their reputation.
