Imagine: you ask Google about something, and its response seems suspiciously familiar. You re-read it and recognize your conversation with ChatGPT from several days ago. Sounds far from ideal, doesn’t it? Well, that’s what could happen to conversations you share using the “Share” button. Initially meant for smooth collaboration, the feature allows you to generate a unique link to a conversation, and whoever has the link can read the chat. However, when you post the link on a website or social media, Google crawlers might access and index it, and then the content of your chat with AI will be searchable. However, what happens when business-related chats become publicly available, and how can it affect your company? Why is it important to strictly maintain privacy, and what particular steps can you take? Read further to know. 

The thin boundary between accidental exposure and a breach 

Data means authority today. No wonder laws regulating data extraction, usage, storage, etc. appear, evolve, and become stricter. There are international regulations like GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), local laws like CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act), that define data-related rules at a particular place, and company-level documents like NDA (non-disclosure agreement), privacy policy, or supplier agreement. All those papers set boundaries regarding data, such as what is allowed and prohibited, what it can be used for, what is allowed to be shared with whom, etc. Businesses must pay close attention to those laws as they have access to both customers’ and employees’ data, and even accidental leak of any details might be seen as exposure of information and thus as a breach of a law, leading to trials, fines, and, which is more important, loss of reputation and customers’ trust.

Speaking of fines, they are not budget-friendly. For example, GDPR will make you pay 10 million euros or 2% of a company’s global annual turnover (whichever is higher) for less severe violations like failing to notify data leaks or a lack of proper data processing agreements. More severe infringements, like violating the fundamental principles of data processing or acting upon data without proper consent, will cost 20 million euros or 4% of global annual turnover. HIPAA (The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) penalties per violation differ from $100 to $1.5 million, and even criminal charges are possible. Not to mention that regulatory investigations are time-consuming and expensive themselves.

How a leakage can happen 

First, you should know how they can happen to prevent any exposures. 

• Indexing by search engine crawlers 

Shared conversations can be a source of fruitful teamwork and headaches, especially if you tick a “Make this chat discoverable” box while generating a link for sharing. 

• Misconfigured tools 

AI tools embedded into CRMs, messengers, or any other instruments for internal usage, as well as wikis with open permissions, can create problems if settings and permissions aren’t adjusted properly. 

• Human factor 

Users oversharing sensitive data, such as document scans or credit card details, is a reliable source of sensitive data for AI. 

• Security bugs 

Inadequate storage or API protection can provide a loophole, and data is not where it should be. 

For example, a team develops a document draft using AI, and due to any of the listed reasons, the output becomes accessible. Google bots crawl and index it, add it to their catalogue, and return it as a search result for relevant keywords. That is okay if it looks like a document draft, with no private information visible, but it may not be the case, and it may count as a breach. 

What to do to prevent leaks  

Shall we quit using AI tools altogether for the sake of safety? No, there is no need to rush into dramatic and drastic decisions, especially considering all the advantages of using AI for businesses. You can take several simple yet effective steps today to ensure no breaches are possible. 

• Classify data—define what is allowed and what is prohibited to share with AI chatbots and tools. Leave no gray zones. Remember never to share any sensitive data. A dedicated article on the topic is here, so you can read more about what information to keep to yourself. 
• Write clear documentation – note down all the aspects.
• Train your staff – make sure everyone sticks to rules regarding data processing. 
• Monitor regularly—new laws, attack patterns, upgrades—whatever changes, and adjust your internal rules and processes accordingly so you don’t accidentally break laws.
• Allow as little as possible—do not make chats discoverable, and give as little access to apps and employees as possible.
• Secure AI access – use tools with authentication, turn on 2FA where possible. 
• Control what is visible to bots – block indexing via robots.txt, noindex tags, and firewall rules.
• Conduct audits – check where AI outputs are shared and cached. 

Proxies to secure AI interaction 

Using additional tools is also a way to protect data, and proxies are worth attention. As they interact with the target server on your behalf, your IP address stays hidden. Even if something does leak, it is harder to trace it back to your company and make use of the data. Proxies can also route traffic through controlled endpoints, and you can enforce rules that block sending queries with certain keywords or personal info. 

Use external AI tools and direct traffic via proxies. The latter can conduct audit logs, so you can prove that you are obeying regulations. On top of that, some AI APIs store or process data in specific regions, and with proxies, you can control which location traffic comes from, which helps you stick to local rules. 

Proxies also help prevent AI providers from tracking you. Tools often collect information such as device fingerprints, location, and more. With proxies, you can reduce the surface area for external tracking. However, we recommend checking what information a tool collects before you start using it and opting for instruments that value your privacy. 

At DataImpulse, you can find ethically derived IPs that can be handy for many tasks, from guarding your anonymity to streamlining scraping processes. Mobile, datacenter, residential – we’ve got it covered for you. And you’re never alone, as our human support team is ready to help you 24/7. Contact us for more details at [email protected] or start with us using the “Try now” button.