You use Claude every day, or ChatGPT, or Gemini.
You have almost certainly never read what happens to everything you type into it.
Most of us clicked "Accept" and moved on with our lives.
So this is the start of a proper look at exactly that, taken from Anthropic's own privacy policy.
No hype and no fear, just what is actually written down.
What does this series cover?
Five parts, in order.
Part one is what Claude collects: your chats, your files, your account, your device and location, and any connected apps.
Part two is how that data is used, from running the service to feedback and safety review.
It also explains what "training" really means, and the opt-in behind it.
Part three is the big one, your controls and settings.
Part four is the honest part: what you cannot change, whichever settings you flip.
Part five is smart habits.
Why is part three the important one?
Because a setting only helps you if you know it exists.
It covers how to stop your chats being used for training.
It also covers retention, deleting chats, using incognito, and exporting your data.
Retention just means how long your data is kept.
The choice there is 30 days, or up to five years.
None of that is hidden away, but none of it is obvious either.
Five minutes of setup buys you settings you will keep for years.
What if I do not use Claude?
Read it anyway.
The menu names differ, but the shape of the thing is the same everywhere.
Something is collected automatically, something is your decision, and something is unavoidable.
Knowing which is which is the actual skill.
It travels with you to whichever assistant you use next.
Part four exists precisely because nobody else tells you that last bit plainly.
What will I know by the end?
Exactly what is collected.
Exactly what is yours to control.
And exactly what is not, so you can stop worrying about the wrong things.
That last one is worth more than any single toggle.
Things to Remember
- Assume nothing about what an AI keeps until you have actually checked.
- The settings that matter most are the training toggle and retention.
- Some things cannot be changed, and it is better to know which.
- Read the parts in order, because each one builds on the last.
- Set aside five minutes to go through your own settings once, properly.