What a free AI chat does with what you type
Your message travels to a server, a model writes the reply and the service decides what it keeps: nothing, a history tied to your account or text that may be used to improve the model or be reviewed by people. Each service says so in its privacy policy. Searching for 4 keywords, you can read it in 3 minutes.
A free chat looks like a conversation between two, but it is an online service: what you type is sent to someone else’s machine. What happens next depends on rules that each service sets, and almost nobody reads them.
On this page
The journey of a message
You type, the text reaches the service’s server, a model generates the reply and it comes back to your screen. Along the way a copy may remain in the server logs. How long it is kept and who can see it is decided by the service.
History tied to an account
If the chat has an account, it normally stores your conversations linked to it so that you can recover them. That is convenient, but it means there is a file of your questions tied to your email or phone. With a chat that does not ask for an account, that file linked to you does not exist.
Use to train the model
Some services use conversations to improve their models, and sometimes it is switched on by default. There is usually a setting to turn it off. If you type personal or work data, check first whether that setting exists.
Review by people
To detect abuse or improve quality, some services allow employees or vendors to read a sample of conversations. Serious policies mention it. If it says nothing on the subject, that does not mean it does not happen.
Retention for legal or security reasons
Even if you delete a chat, the service may keep a copy for a while for security or because of a legal obligation. The policy usually gives a period. Look for the word “retention” or “storage”.
How to read the policy in 3 minutes
Open the page and search for 4 words: train, retain, share and delete. Read only those sentences. You will know whether they use your texts for training, how long they keep them, who they share them with and how they are deleted.
What not to type in any chat
Passwords, card numbers, identity documents, other people’s health data and confidential work material. If you need help with a sensitive document, remove the names and numbers before pasting it.
The questions free things deserve
Does a free chat sell my data?
It depends on the service. Some live off advertising or data. Its privacy policy says so, or should.
Does deleting the conversation delete everything?
It deletes your visible copy. The service may keep logs for a period, which the policy states.
Does incognito mode protect me?
It only clears what stays in your browser. The service still receives what you type.
What is the advantage of a chat that does not ask for an account?
There is no history tied to your identity, and there is less data that a third party can link to you.
This chat asks for no account and no card, and it keeps conversations for 30 days, then deletes them.
Open the free chat