I have verifiable proof that Google does not actually delete user prompts from its servers. Even after a user triggers the delete action in the user interface, the prompts remain fully accessible and retained within Google’s backend infrastructure. This is a direct violation of user privacy and data retention laws
Were people actually expecting differently?
Google even has an option for Workplaces that is a checkbox that says along the lines of “keep all chats and data on server after user deletion” to keep a trail of what employees are doing by management. If they have options like that how are people not expecting that Google retains data despite cleaning your chat session up?
Google has even advertised that the more you talk to your AI assistant the more it learns about you specifically and can relate things to you. How is it supposed to do that if all data and history is cleared out completely from the backend after you leave a chat session? Google advertised this feature directly during last years Pixel 10 launch.
Or in ChatGPTs case the Krafton CEO from Korea used it to ask how to fire employees before they were due bonuses, and thought “deleting” his chat page actually deleted the chats.
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Big tech violating user privacy and data retention laws for their own (massive) gain? Im shocked and appalled good sir
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Fabel 4 I know everyone feels cool shitting on corporations, but maybe people should stop using free services or start reading contracts before signing for non free ones.
Last I checked the EULA there was no way to avoid Google keeping that data.
User privacy is not that well protected even in the EU.
If I remember correctly, as long as there is a commercial relation -you have an account and you are being provided service- the relation is active and Google can keep everything. Also if the relation is terminated the data to be deleted after the retention period is personal identifiable data, like names and addresses.
You might ask for non personal data to be deleted but I highly doubt you can do so while your account still exists.
And also there might information they are required by other laws to keep anyways, for taxation, fraud prevention etc.
And that is assuming you are talking EU with GDPR, good luck if you are outside the EU.
I am not expert at all but that was my understanding. Feel free to correct me if you have a deeper understanding.
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They just needed to remove personal information and they can keep their data that the user gifted them.
As long as it doesn’t have PII, they can retain.
I am not sure, an online username, counts as PII, but if it was the users legal/birth/chosen name, they should anonymise the name.
If the body of the text, contains personal identifiable information, I suspect it is a breach of their TOS, as the wouldn’t want to bother having to scan all the junk for PII
[Fabel](https://forum.level1techs.com/u/Fabel)
7 Stealing…
Didn’t you give them that information in the first place? Bad move I’d say.
Did you check under what circumstances were they entitled to it? Very bad move if you didn’t.
Let me tell you that Google can argue that they keep your prompts for research reasons -AI development- and even under GDPR that entitles them to keep those prompts FOREVER. I don’t like Google at all, they have done pretty shitty crap and will do even more, but the lack of personal accountability of people does not help the case against them at all.
So I think you have verifiable proof that it is working as expected, stated in the EULA and covered by the law.
On a Google.dev post: “clear technical evidence that cannot be denied”, “Google’s diabolical plan”, “This is corporate fraud”,
The irony is so strong I only can /facepalm.
On the other hand, if one can start a GDPR case against them, and it actually results in them removing data they should, then it is a win for everyone…
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If anyone goes to look at the user’s (numerous) post history on that google group you’ll see he doesn’t quite understand that the json file contains the entire conversation. So of course re it will restore the conversation, it contains a json object for each turn of the convo… there is nothing surprising here. It is basically the embodiment of the aphorism, “a little knowledge is a dangerous thing” 1 Like
It’s a pretty common rule to assume they never delete any data you give them on request. They are Google after all. You will be immortalized in training data!
Even if they did “delete” your data, you already know they’re not zeroing out your data on their drives, ‘takes too much compute, sorry!’.
Fudd 11 Nope… Not even remotely surprised here… Not even close…
Fabel 12 People can start as many GDPR cases against them as they want, but for Google to remove any data you are going to need a strong case and I see zero merit on this one.
All the more reason to host that shit. You can’t trust anyone but yourself.