AI Privacy Policy Evaluation: ChatGPT vs. Gemini vs. Claude

What You Need to Know

• Your data cannot be deleted: Even if you delete your chat history, once information has been used to train ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude, it remains embedded in the model and cannot be fully removed. ‍
• Default settings favor the AI provider: Free AI tools automatically use your prompts and outputs for training. Opting out is possible but often hidden in settings and not enabled by default. ‍
• Protect sensitive information: Never input confidential, private, or proprietary data into free AI models. For secure use cases, rely on enterprise-grade AI solutions that isolate your data and prevent it from being used in public training.

ChatGPT vs. Gemini vs. Claude

Before using any AI tool, particularly those that require you to input personal or proprietary data, it is essential to carefully evaluate its privacy policy. A well-written privacy policy should be clear, transparent, and easy to understand.  

The privacy policies for AI services are often lengthy and intentionally confusing documents. We have conducted a thorough review and evaluation of the privacy policies for the top three free AI models so that you can quickly understand the key privacy implications.

AI Model Privacy Comparison

Free AI services operate by using your data to train their underlying models. That is the price you pay for the service.

Once your data is incorporated into the algorithm, it becomes technically complex and often impossible to fully delete. While you may delete it from your account history, it remains embedded within the model's core intelligence. There are no guarantees of privacy.

To protect sensitive information, the best practice is to limit the use of these tools to activities that do not involve sensitive or proprietary data. It is strongly recommended not to input any confidential, private, or proprietary information into a free AI model.

ChatGPT

• Vague Policies: ChatGPT's policy relies on vague language which grants the company significant operational latitude regarding security, data sharing, and data retention. ‍
• Opt-in by Default: The default settings for user inputs are configured to favor ChatGPT's interests, specifically by having your content automatically used to train the algorithm. Users must actively opt-out. ‍
• Limited Data Deletion: While users can delete data from their account history, this action does not guarantee removal of the content from the trained model. Once your data has been incorporated into the algorithm, it is effectively retained.

Gemini

• Vague Policies: The stated purpose for data use—"to provide, improve, and develop Google products, services, and machine-learning technologies"—is overly broad and vague. This language gives Google wide discretion over how your data is processed. ‍
• Implied Consent: The Gemini Trust User Agreement stipulates that simply logging in or authenticating via API after any policy change constitutes your agreement to the new terms. ‍
• Data Sensitivity Risk: Google repeatedly advises users against sharing sensitive data. This cautionary stance directly stems from the platform's broad usage permissions.

Claude

• User Control: The default setting for broad data permissions is opt-in, requiring users to take active steps to change their preference. The mechanism to locate and utilize the opt-out feature can be difficult.  ‍
• Vague Policies: The policy's language gives Claude significant, non-specific latitude on how they handle, protect, and use data, lacking concrete commitments.

Claude provides the best data privacy of the three options, but it is still recommended to share your data with caution.

Net Friends Pro-Tip: AI providers update their privacy policies often, and simply logging in can mean you’ve agreed to new terms. Make it a habit to review these policies regularly.

AI and Data Security

Enterprise AI systems are a better option for business because they are scalable and secure. Unlike consumer-grade tools, enterprise AI is built with security and compliance protocols necessary for handling sensitive business data. With the key functionality of being able to integrate with specific business data without risking breaches or regulatory penalties. Some popular tools are:

Microsoft Copilot & Enterprise Gemini: These systems are designed to access and utilize your company's proprietary data to generate relevant and context-specific responses. Crucially, they operate within a secure, isolated instance dedicated solely to your organization. This data isolation ensures that your information is not exposed to external model training or shared with other companies using the service.

ChatGPT for Business & Claude for Enterprise: These offerings prioritize data privacy. Your inputs and data are not used for general model training and are not exposed to anyone outside of your account or organization.

Privacy Policy Considerations

Data Collection: The policy should explicitly state what types of data are collected. It should also clearly define the specific purposes for which this data is collected. Be wary of vague language that could allow for broad, unspecified data usage.

While it makes sense for an AI tool to collect data related to your prompts and outputs (the core functionality), the scope often extends much wider:

• Gemini: Accesses a broad scope of data from your device and other applications, including information from connected third-party apps and system permissions. ‍
• ChatGPT: Data collection extends beyond the app to include your general web browsing and social media interactions. ‍
• Claude: Data collection is generally limited to activities within the service itself.

The larger the scope of data collection, especially when it pulls from your device, third-party apps, or general web activity, the greater the risk that sensitive or personal data could be inadvertently exposed.

Data Use and Purpose: This is the key element of any AI privacy policy. Look for a clear statement on specifically if your input will be used to train future versions of the model. If the policy states, for example, that your conversations "may be reviewed by human trainers to improve the AI model," you must consider the significant, long-term privacy implications.

All major AI models use user data to improve their algorithms, but this process has lasting consequences for your privacy. Once your conversations or inputs are incorporated into training, they become a permanent part of the model’s knowledge base. It is not technically possible to fully erase or “untrain” that information, which means your data may always remain embedded within the system.

This permanence creates risks such as unintended data leakage, where sensitive or confidential details could resurface in future outputs. Even when companies claim to de-identify information, the possibility of re-identification remains. By contributing data, you also grant providers broad rights to reuse it for product development or share it with third parties, leaving you with limited control over how your information is ultimately used.

It is possible to opt out of algorithm training, this feature is not the default setting, and the steps required to find and activate it can be difficult or non-obvious to the average user.

User Rights and Control: A comprehensive privacy policy should explicitly detail the users’ rights to access, correct, or delete your data.

Privacy policies define data deletion vaguely, often stating it occurs “when the data is no longer necessary.” The issue is that this standard does not extend to information already absorbed into the model’s training data. Once incorporated, your content becomes deeply intertwined with the system’s algorithms, making it technically difficult to fully isolate and remove.

Even after deleting your account or conversation history, traces of your input are likely to remain permanently within the model. This undermines true user control and creates a misleading sense of privacy. A deletion request usually applies only to your visible chat history, not to the core intelligence of the AI where your data continues to live on.

Security Policies: While a privacy policy is not meant to serve as a security policy, it should provide a clear overview of the safeguards in place to protect user data. Policies that do not take responsibility for breaches or shift the security burden entirely onto the user are red flags that signal higher risk.

• ChatGPT: Describes its protections as “commercially reasonable technical, administrative, and organizational measures,” a phrase that offers little specificity or assurance. ‍
• Gemini: Provides limited security commitments, implying that users should not expect strong guarantees around data protection, particularly regarding retention and use beyond the active session. ‍
• Claude: Adopts a more rigorous security posture, backed by recognized industry certifications such as SOC 2 Type II and ISO 42001.

Together, these distinctions highlight how differently each provider approaches data security, giving users essential context when assessing which platform they can trust.

What Next?

If you need assistance setting up a secure enterprise AI system or would like to learn more about how AI can strategically impact your business, please schedule a meeting with one of our IT Experts today.

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