The Safest AI Chat for Privacy: A 2025 Comparison
A short guide to how major AI chat tools handle your data
AI chat tools are now part of everyday life. Many people use them to write, code, and solve problems. But not all AI tools treat your data the same. If you care about your privacy, it's important to know how these tools collect and store your information.
In this guide, I will look at six AI chat platforms—ChatGPT, Perplexity, Grok, DeepSeek, Microsoft Copilot, and Claude—and explain how each one handles your data.
ChatGPT (OpenAI)
OpenAI launched ChatGPT in late 2022. By early 2025, it had over 100 million weekly active users. People use it to write, code, summarize articles, and even brainstorm ideas. It’s flexible, but shares some of your data by default unless you turn that off.
🔍 Data Usage: Stores prompts and replies to improve the model, unless you opt out.
💾 Data Storage: Stores data in the U.S.
🛡️ Privacy Controls: You can delete your data through their portal.
📜 Compliance: Follows GDPR and similar laws.
Perplexity AI
Perplexity launched in 2022 and blends chatbot responses with real-time web search. It stands out for its source-backed answers and fast access to up-to-date information. Privacy, however, is not its main focus.
🔍 Data Usage: Collects your chats and device info. May share with partners.
💾 Data Storage: Doesn't clearly say where it stores your data.
🛡️ Privacy Controls: You can change settings to limit data use.
📜 Compliance: Claims GDPR compliance.
Grok (xAI)
Grok comes from xAI, founded by Elon Musk in 2023. It enriches search results with real-time content from X (Twitter), which can provide timely and relevant context. This connection, however, also raises privacy concerns due to how user data might be used.
🔍 Data Usage: Collects chat and location data. EU regulators are investigating its training practices.
💾 Data Storage: Doesn’t say where data is stored.
🛡️ Privacy Controls: You can opt out of training.
📜 Compliance: Under investigation for possible GDPR violations.
DeepSeek
DeepSeek is based in China. It supports many languages and advanced features. It shocked the AI world by showing it could train large models at a fraction of the cost of Western competitors. But its privacy track record is weak.
🔍 Data Usage: Collects your chats and tracks typing behavior.
💾 Data Storage: Keeps data on servers in China.
🛡️ Privacy Controls: Few options to control or delete data.
📜 Compliance: Follows Chinese law, which may not protect your privacy.
Microsoft Copilot
Copilot launched in March 2023 as part of Microsoft 365. It uses OpenAI’s models, but stores everything on Microsoft’s own systems. Copilot stands out for its focus on workplace integration and privacy features tailored for business use.
🔍 Data Usage: Uses data from Microsoft apps like Outlook and Word.
💾 Data Storage: Stores data in Microsoft’s cloud. EU storage options are available.
🛡️ Privacy Controls: You manage access through Microsoft 365 settings.
📜 Compliance: Meets GDPR and other privacy rules.
Claude (Anthropic)
Anthropic started in 2021. Claude, their AI, is named after Claude Shannon, a pioneer in information theory. Claude was built with safety in mind and doesn’t use your chats to train its models unless you say yes. It’s also known as one of the best AI tools for coding, often praised for its clear explanations and helpful debugging suggestions.
🔍 Data Usage: Claude ignores your conversations unless you opt in.
💾 Data Storage: Data is encrypted during transfer and storage.
🛡️ Privacy Controls: You can ask to delete your data.
📜 Compliance: Claude follows GDPR rules and takes privacy seriously.
A Quick Reminder…
If you're curious what I use personally to stay private online — from browsers and email to file sharing and AI — I keep my favorite tools updated here:
My Privacy Toolset
This list contains apps I use daily and highly recommend based on my testing and experience. I will update this page when something changes on my end.
It's a simple list I trust, built from years of testing privacy-focused apps.
Conclusion
Are AI chats private? Sometimes. Some tools protect your data and let you control how it's used. Others collect and store your chats by default. If you’re handling sensitive topics, choose a tool with clear privacy settings.
Here’s our quick take:
Best Choice: Claude. It doesn’t train on your data by default and encrypts everything.
Strong Option: Microsoft Copilot. Built for businesses, with solid privacy controls.
Be Careful: ChatGPT and Perplexity. You need to opt out to stop data collection.
High Risk: DeepSeek. Based in China with few controls.
Pick a tool that gives you control over your own data.