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Paying for Gemini doesn't stop Google training on your chats: the only off switch also erases your history

Google's own privacy hub spells out what the Keep Activity setting does, who reviews chats, and how long reviewed chats are kept.

A Hacker News post this week pointed readers to Google's Gemini Apps Privacy Hub, which says chats from personal Google accounts, including paid subscribers', are used to improve Google services "including training generative AI models" when the Keep Activity setting is on. AI Weekly notes that Keep Activity is on by default for adults.

Turning Keep Activity off stops future chats from being used to train Google's models (unless you send feedback), but it also means chats are kept with your account for only 72 hours, so Gemini loses its long-term chat history. Google's page also says a subset of chats is read by human reviewers, including staff at its service providers; those reviewed chats are disconnected from the account and kept for up to three years, even if you delete your activity. Google asks users not to enter confidential information they wouldn't want a reviewer to see.

Temporary chats are not used to train Google's AI models, the page says. Work and school accounts fall under different terms.

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People tell chatbots things they wouldn't type into a search box, and Google's page says personal-account chats, paid ones included, are used to train its models when Keep Activity is on, as it is by default for adults. Some chats are read by human reviewers, including staff at service providers, and those copies are kept for up to three years even after you delete your activity. Opting out of training also cuts saved history to 72 hours, so privacy and convenience come as a package, and Google's own advice is not to enter anything confidential.

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