Data Privacy & Personal Safety
10 Things You Should Never Share with AI Chatbots
हिंदी में पढ़ेंAI chatbots do not need your family's private details to explain a lesson. Keep passwords, identity numbers, financial information and identifying details about children out of prompts and uploads. Replacing a real name with “a Class 4 learner” is usually enough to receive useful educational help.
Imagine a parent uploads a report card to ask for a revision plan. The file may also reveal the child's full name, school, date of birth and admission number. A safer prompt describes only the learning need: “Suggest practice for a learner who finds fractions difficult.”
Which ten things should stay out of AI chats?
- Passwords and recovery details. Never share account passwords, recovery codes or security-question answers.
- OTPs and approval codes. A chatbot, caller or supposed support agent does not need a one-time code to teach a lesson.
- Identity numbers. Keep Aadhaar, PEN, APAAR, passport numbers and copies of identification documents private.
- Home address and daily movements. Do not enter live location, a bus stop, pickup times or a child's regular route.
- Financial secrets. Never provide card details, banking passwords, UPI PINs or unredacted bank statements.
- Private documents. Avoid uploading certificates, legal papers and complete school or family records.
- Identifying photos and recordings. Do not casually upload children's faces, voices or private family pictures.
- Sensitive health information. Keep named medical reports, counselling conversations and diagnoses away from general chatbots.
- School access and other pupils' records. Do not share portal credentials, attendance lists or classmates' contact details.
- Other people's private messages. Ask permission before using another person's material; for learning, use a made-up example instead.
Are “private” chats automatically confidential?
No. Storage, human access, training and sharing depend on the service and settings. A private-looking chat window is not a promise that only you can access its contents. UNICEF recommends checking privacy settings and app permissions as part of family online safety. AI-S12: Read the source
What if a detail seems necessary?
Ask whether the task can be done without AI or with a fictional example. A financial, health or identity issue may need the relevant professional or official service. Even removing a name may leave identifying information in a photograph, uniform, file or story.
Read the entire upload before sending; cropping a screenshot is not always enough. Use text you have checked rather than a whole document whenever possible. Never submit someone else's data simply because you have access to it.
What if information was already shared?
Stop sharing further details. Change an exposed password through the real service, review sessions and contact the bank promptly if financial access is at risk. Review the AI provider's deletion and reporting controls, but do not assume deleting the visible chat recalls every copy.
Tell children they can ask for help without being blamed. A simple family rule—“Describe the lesson, not the person”—is easy to remember and applies to parents and teachers too.
Where can you check the details?
What can you read next?
Want to check the sources?
These notes explain what was checked for the article. The date is an information check, not a publication date.
- AI-S12: Online privacy checklist for parents
UNICEF
Where to look: Privacy settings, permissions and family conversations
How it was checked: Official text retrieved
Household examples are original. Parental controls reduce risks without guaranteeing safety.
Next planned check: