Permissions & Data Sharing Controls
Take control of your data with AI services through privacy settings and permission management.
Understanding AI Data Permissions
AI services request broad permissions for data access. Understanding and limiting these permissions protects your privacy and prevents unauthorized data use for training.
Common AI Permission Requests
File Access
Request to read, upload, analyze documents, images, or other files. May retain copies for training.
Microphone Access
Voice input for AI assistants. Creates voice samples that could be used for cloning or training.
Camera Access
Image recognition, AR features. Collects facial data and environmental information.
Location Data
Personalized recommendations. Creates movement patterns and location history.
Contact Access
Social features, suggestions. Builds social graph for profiling and targeting.
Browsing History
Personalization, recommendations. Complete picture of interests and behavior.
ChatGPT Privacy Controls
Disable Chat History & Training
Settings → Data Controls → Turn off "Improve the model for everyone". Disables training on your conversations.
Delete Conversation History
Settings → Data Controls → Clear chat history. Or delete individual conversations from sidebar.
Export Your Data
Settings → Data Controls → Export data. Download all conversations and account information.
Manage Shared Links
Shared chat links remain public. Review and delete shared conversations regularly.
Google Gemini Privacy Settings
Turn Off Activity Logging
Gemini Apps Activity → Turn off. Prevents Google from storing conversation history.
Delete Activity
My Activity → Gemini → Delete activity by date or all time.
Auto-Delete Settings
My Activity → Auto-delete → Set to 3 or 18 months. Automatic cleanup.
Microsoft Copilot Privacy Controls
- Commercial data protection with Microsoft 365 business accounts
- Consumer version: Privacy → Manage privacy settings
- Clear chat history regularly - not retained beyond session
- Enterprise customers: data not used for training by default
- Review Activity history in Microsoft account settings
Claude (Anthropic) Privacy Options
Free Tier
Conversations may be used for training. Can't fully opt out on free tier.
Pro Tier
Conversations not used for training by default. Better privacy protections.
Delete Conversations
Can delete individual chats or entire history from conversation list.
Mobile App Permissions
iOS Permission Management
Settings → Privacy & Security → Review each category. Set apps to "Ask Next Time" or "Never".
Android Permission Management
Settings → Privacy → Permission manager. Review and revoke unnecessary AI app permissions.
One-Time Permissions
Use "Only this time" for camera, microphone, location. Prevents permanent access.
Browser Extension Controls
- Review what data extensions can access before installing
- AI extensions often request "Read and change all your data on websites"
- Use extensions only from verified developers
- Regularly audit installed extensions - remove unused ones
- Check extension permissions in browser settings
- Consider using AI services in incognito/private browsing
Best Practices for Data Minimization
Grant Minimal Permissions
Only approve permissions essential for functionality. Deny everything else.
Review Regularly
Audit app permissions quarterly. Remove unused apps. Revoke unnecessary access.
Use Temporary Access
One-time permissions, incognito modes, disposable accounts for experiments.
Read Privacy Policies
Understand what data is collected, how long retained, who it's shared with.
Opting Out of Data Training
OpenAI Opt-Out Form
Submit request at OpenAI's privacy portal. Prevents use of your data for training.
Website robots.txt
For website owners: Block AI scrapers (GPTBot, CCBot, others) from training on your content.
GDPR/CCPA Rights
Request data deletion and opt-out from data processing under privacy laws.
Third-Party Integration Risks
- AI plugins access your conversations and data
- Third-party apps using AI APIs may store your inputs
- Carefully review what integrations can access
- Revoke access to unused integrations immediately
- Prefer first-party AI tools over third-party wrappers