Gemini app safety profile

What it does with your data

When someone types, pastes or uploads something into the Gemini app with a personal Google account, Google can use it to train its AI models by default. For users 18 and over, a setting called Keep Activity is on from the start. While it is on, Google uses that activity to provide, develop and improve its services, and that includes training AI models.

People may read some of it. Google says human reviewers read a subset of chats. These reviewers include trained service providers, and they suggest better responses that are used to improve the models. Reviewed chats are kept for up to 3 years, disconnected from the account, and deleting your activity does not remove them.

Other retention points for personal accounts:

• Activity is auto-deleted after 18 months by default. You can choose 3 months, 36 months or no auto-delete.
• Temporary chats, and chats made with Keep Activity off, are kept for 72 hours.
• Audio and Gemini Live videos and screenshares are not used to improve Google services by default.

Work or school accounts may have different terms. The pages checked do not say what those terms are.

Settings to change first

Turn off Keep Activity before anyone uses a personal account for work tasks.

1. In the Gemini web app, open Settings & help > Activity.
2. Near the top, click On > Turn off, or Turn off and delete activity to also clear past chats.
3. On the same page, check that “Improve Google services with your audio and Gemini Live videos & screenshares” is off. It is off by default, and you can turn it off at any time.

With Keep Activity off, future chats are not used for training unless someone sends feedback. Feedback still goes to Google with the last 24 hours of chats and anything in them, so tell staff not to use the feedback buttons. Temporary chats are another option and are not used to train Google’s models. One limit: Gemini settings do not control the processing of chats to create anonymized data that improves Google services.

Free and paid tiers

For personal accounts, the pages checked state no difference in data handling between the free app and a paid Google AI plan, apart from one: on a paid plan, Google also collects information about your subscription. Paying for a personal plan does not, on these pages, change the training default or the retention periods. You still need to turn off Keep Activity yourself.

Work or school accounts are different in 2 ways the pages mention. They may be covered by different data handling terms than personal accounts, and those terms are not described. Their Gemini Apps Activity settings are controlled by the Workspace administrator, not the user, so staff may not be able to change retention or even see how long their chats are kept.

Admin controls

If your organization uses Google Workspace, your Workspace administrator controls Gemini Apps Activity settings for work accounts. That includes retention, which individual users may not be able to change.

The pages checked do not describe single sign-on, user management or audit logs for the Gemini app. They also do not name any certifications or audit reports, and they do not say where data is stored or processed or whether a region can be chosen. If your funders, board or data protection policy require certifications or a specific data region, these are open questions you need Google to answer.

Using it with donor and client data

Do not let staff use personal Gemini accounts for donor or client work with the default settings. Keep Activity is on, chats can train models, and reviewed chats stay with Google for up to 3 years even after deletion.

If you allow it at all, prefer a Workspace work account managed by your organization, and first confirm in writing what data terms apply to it, since the pages checked do not spell them out.

Whatever account staff use, never paste in:

• donor names together with gift amounts
• client case notes
• health information
• payment or bank details

Ask Google in writing which certifications and audit reports cover the Gemini app, and where your data is stored and processed. The vendor pages checked do not cover either point. Until you have answers, keep donor and client records out of the tool.

Questions people ask

Does turning off Keep Activity stop Google from keeping chats?

Not entirely. Chats made with it off are still kept for up to 72 hours. Anything sent as feedback is used to improve Gemini, together with the last 24 hours of chats.

Can we delete chats a reviewer has already seen?

No. Google says reviewed chats are not deleted when you delete your activity. They are kept for up to 3 years, disconnected from your account.

Are voice chats and screenshares used for training?

Not by default. Audio and Gemini Live videos and screenshares are covered by a separate setting that starts off. Check it under Settings & help > Activity and leave it off.