Privacy and confidential information
What not to paste into public AI tools.
Do not enter passwords, personal data you are not allowed to share, client secrets, unreleased financials, or classified material into AI tools unless your organisation approves a secure, private deployment.
Check your employer's AI policy. When in doubt, anonymise data or use approved enterprise tools.
A near miss
Scenario: Someone pastes a customer list with emails and purchase history into a public AI chatbot to get marketing ideas.
This may violate company policy and data protection rules. The safer approach: anonymise the data, use an approved enterprise tool, or work with aggregated summaries only.
Never paste into public AI tools
✕ Passwords and API keys
Instead: Never share credentials with any AI tool.
✕ Unreleased financial results
Instead: Use approved systems with data agreements.
✕ Full HR or medical records
Instead: Follow your organisation's data policy.
Key points
- ✓Never share secrets or unapproved personal data with AI
- ✓Follow your organisation's AI and data policies
- ✓Anonymise sensitive information when possible
- ✓Use approved enterprise tools for confidential work
Knowledge check
What should you avoid pasting into public AI tools?
Choose the best answer, then check your understanding.