Hey there, fellow AI tool explorers. I've spent the past few months testing privacy controls across the major AI assistants, and I need to tell you something: the gap between what these companies promise and what actually happens to your data is wider than I expected.

Last week, I ran the same sensitive workflow through all three platforms—ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini—with privacy settings maxed out. The differences in what got stored, who could see it, and how long it stuck around were honestly eye-opening. Not scary, just... different enough that you need to know before you paste your next client email or code snippet.

Here's what I'm seeing in January 2026: AI-related privacy incidents jumped 56% in 2024, and only 47% of people globally trust AI companies with their data. That number keeps dropping. These aren't abstract stats—they're signals that privacy in AI is becoming a real decision point, not an afterthought.

I’m Hanks. I test AI tools so you don’t have to. Here’s exactly what each assistant collects, stores, and actually does with your conversations. No marketing spin. Just what I saw.

Why AI Privacy Matters

What AI Assistants Know About You

Every prompt you send contains more than you think. I realized this when I asked ChatGPT to help draft a project proposal and noticed it remembered details from a conversation three weeks earlier—details I'd assumed were long gone.

AI assistants collect:

• Every word you type (prompts, questions, corrections)
• Files you upload (PDFs, images, code, spreadsheets)
• Your corrections and feedback (thumbs up/down, edits)
• Metadata (timestamps, device info, location data)
• Usage patterns (how often, when, what features)

According to recent privacy research from Stanford, if you share sensitive information in a chat—even in a separate uploaded file—it may be collected and used for training. That's the part most people miss.

Potential Risks

I'm not saying don't use these tools. I use them daily. But after testing privacy settings across platforms, here's what actually worried me:

Training on your data: Your conversations can train future models unless you explicitly opt out—and the opt-out process isn't the same everywhere.

Long retention periods: Some platforms keep your data for years. Claude now retains opted-in data for five years. That's not a typo.

Human review: Real people can read your chats during quality checks. Google, OpenAI, and Anthropic all use human reviewers for safety and improvement.

Shared links: When you share a ChatGPT conversation, you're exposing everything in that thread to anyone with the link.

The 2026 privacy rankings from Incogni put Meta AI at the bottom, with Gemini and Copilot close behind. ChatGPT ranked second, and Le Chat (Mistral) took first for privacy.

Gemini Privacy Analysis

Data Collection Scope

Google's Gemini Apps Privacy Hub (updated January 21, 2026) is clear about what they collect:

• Your prompts (text and voice)
• Shared files (videos, images, documents, browser content)
• Transcripts and recordings from Gemini Live
• Your feedback
• Subscription details

When I tested Gemini, I noticed something: the mobile app collects more than the web version. Location data, contact info, and usage patterns all flow through when you're on Android. Desktop use is leaner.

How Google Uses Your Data

This is where things get real. Google uses your Gemini data to:

• Improve generative AI models and machine learning tech
• Fight policy violations and harmful content
• Train reviewers (including external contractors)

Here's the kicker: unless you turn off Gemini Apps Activity, your data is used for training by default. Human reviewers see your prompts after they're disconnected from your account, but they do see them.

For workspace users, the rules are different. Gemini in Google Workspace doesn't train on your business data unless you explicitly share feedback and check the box to allow it.

Delete & Control Options

Gemini gives you options, but you have to find them:

Gemini Apps Activity: Auto-deletes after 18 months by default. You can change this to 3 months, 36 months, or turn it off entirely.

How to opt out:

1. Go to myactivity.google.com/product/gemini
2. Click "Turn Off" (or "Turn Off & Delete Activity")
3. Set auto-delete to your preference

When Activity is off, Google still holds your chats for up to 72 hours to run the service and safety checks. After that, they're gone—unless flagged for policy violations.

Claude Privacy Analysis

Anthropic's Privacy Commitments

I'll be honest: Anthropic's privacy shift in 2025 caught me off guard. For years, Claude didn't train on user data. Then in August 2025, Anthropic updated its terms to make training opt-out instead of opt-in.

As of October 2025, here's the deal:

• Consumer accounts (Free, Pro, Max) can opt out of training
• If you opt out, 30-day retention
• If you opt in, 5-year retention
• Business accounts (Team, Enterprise, API) don't train on your data by default

Conversation Data Handling

When I tested Claude's privacy settings, I found the controls straightforward but the defaults surprising. The pop-up that asks about model training has a large "Accept" button with a small toggle set to "On." If you click Accept too fast, you've opted in.

What Claude collects when training is enabled:

• Chat content (prompts and responses)
• Code sessions
• Feedback submissions (retained for 5 years even if you opt out of training)

Anthropic uses automated filters to remove sensitive data before human review, but as privacy experts noted, you shouldn't rely on filters alone. Don't paste truly sensitive data.

Enterprise Privacy Options

Claude for Work changes everything. Business accounts get:

• No training on your data (hard default)
• Data Processing Addendum (DPA) for GDPR compliance
• SOC 2 Type 2 certification
• Control over data residency

If you're using Claude for client work or sensitive projects, the business tier isn't optional—it's the only way to guarantee privacy.

ChatGPT Privacy Analysis

OpenAI Data Policies

OpenAI's privacy policy (effective January 1, 2026) covers ChatGPT, DALL·E, and other consumer services. Here's what they collect:

• Account info (email, payment details)
• Conversation content (prompts, files, images, outputs)
• Usage data (features used, timestamps, API calls)
• Device metadata (IP address, browser, OS)

OpenAI stores this data "as long as necessary" to provide services, comply with law, or resolve disputes. Translation: until you delete it or they decide to.

Memory Feature Privacy

ChatGPT's Memory feature is powerful but also a privacy wildcard. When enabled, ChatGPT remembers details across sessions—your writing style, project names, personal preferences.

I tested this by mentioning a client name once, then asking about "the project" two weeks later. ChatGPT knew exactly what I meant. Convenient? Yes. Privacy-safe? Depends on what you're discussing.

You can:

• View all saved memories in Settings
• Delete individual memories
• Turn Memory off entirely
• Use Temporary Chats (which bypass Memory and aren't saved)

Training Opt-Out

As of 2026, ChatGPT gives you explicit controls:

To opt out of training:

1. Open Settings > Data Controls
2. Toggle "Improve the model for everyone" to OFF
3. This applies account-wide across devices

Temporary Chats: Start a temporary chat by clicking the icon at the top. These chats are deleted after 30 days and never used for training.

One thing that surprised me: feedback you submit (thumbs up/down with comments) can still be used for training even if you opt out of general training. That's a gap most people don't catch.

ChatGPT Enterprise changes the game. Enterprise accounts get:

• No training on business data by default
• AES-256 encryption at rest, TLS 1.2+ in transit
• SOC 2 Type 2 compliance
• Configurable data retention (down to 30 days)

Side-by-Side Comparison Table

Our Privacy Rankings

Most Private Option

Winner: Claude (Enterprise/Team plans)

When I tested enterprise tiers, Claude gave me the cleanest privacy setup. No training on business data, clear DPA, and the shortest default retention (30 days for consumers who opt out).

For consumer use, Claude's opt-out actually works as advertised—if you remember to toggle it. The 5-year retention for opted-in users is aggressive, but at least it's transparent.

Best Balance

Runner-up: ChatGPT

ChatGPT offers the most granular controls. Memory on/off, Temporary Chats, training opt-out, and individual chat deletion all work independently. I could keep history for reference while blocking training—something that's harder with Gemini.

OpenAI's transparency improved significantly in 2025. You know what's collected, why, and how to stop it. The gap is feedback data—even with training off, your thumbs-up comments can be used.

Most Features

Trade-off: Gemini

Gemini integrates deeply with Google services, which is both its strength and privacy weakness. If you're already in the Google ecosystem, Gemini Apps Activity ties into your broader Google account.

The upside: powerful workspace integration, grounding with Google Search, and extensions across Google products. The downside: more data flowing through more services. For privacy-conscious users, that's a lot of surface area to lock down.

What I'm Actually Doing

After months of testing, here's my setup:

For client work: Claude Enterprise. No training, clear terms, data stays put.

For quick research: ChatGPT with training OFF and Temporary Chats for anything sensitive.

For Google Workspace tasks: Gemini with Activity turned off and auto-delete set to 3 months.

The pattern I'm seeing: privacy in AI assistants isn't binary. It's a series of small decisions—what you type, which mode you use, whether you remember to toggle the right setting. The tools give you control, but only if you take it.

If you're serious about privacy, treat AI assistants like you would a public forum: assume anything you type could be seen by someone else. Use enterprise tiers for work. Turn off training. Delete sensitive chats. And never paste credentials, API keys, or client data into a free consumer account.

The defaults aren't built for privacy. They're built for training better models. That's not inherently bad—it's how these systems improve. But you need to know the trade-off you're making.

Ready to Lock Down Your AI Workflow?

Here's the thing I keep running into: privacy settings mean nothing if you can't remember to check them across three different platforms, five different devices, and every time a policy updates.

At Macaron, we built a single workspace where you can route tasks to the right AI assistant while keeping privacy controls in one place. No switching tabs to check if training is still off. No wondering which account you used for that sensitive conversation last week.

If you're tired of managing privacy piecemeal—or if you just want to test how a unified AI workspace handles these friction points—you can run your actual tasks through Macaron and see what sticks.

Low commitment. Real workflows. You decide if it's worth keeping.

Try Macaron free – start in 30 seconds, no credit card required.→