30% of popular AI chatbots
share data with third parties
30% of popular AI chatbots share user data with third parties,
with all analyzed apps collecting some form of user data. Google
AI
summary
Created
Gemini collects the most information, while ChatGPT collects less
but still retains chat history. Copilot, Poe, and Jasper track user
data for targeted advertising. DeepSeek has faced data
breaches, highlighting the risks of stored chat data. Users should
review privacy policies to understand data usage and protection.
@1 avril 2025 10:18
Tags
URL
https://surfshark.com/research/chart/ai-chatbots-privacy
Digital democracy|Digital privacy
AI chatbots are everywhere these days, but have you ever wondered what
information they might be gathering about you? To provide clarity, we analyzed
the data collection practices of the top 10 AI chatbots available on the Apple
30% of popular AI chatbots share data with third parties
1
Store, from Google Gemini to DeepSeek, ChatGPT, and more. Let’s keep our
data in check!
Key insights
All analyzed AI chatbot apps collect some form of user data. The average
number of collected types of data is 11 out of a possible 35 for the analyzed
apps. 40% of the apps collect users' locations. Additionally, 30% of these
apps track user data. Tracking refers to linking user or device data
collected from the app with third-party data for targeted advertising or
advertising measurement purposes or sharing it with a data broker¹.
Google Gemini collects the most information, gathering 22 out of 35
possible data types. This includes precise location data, which only Gemini,
Copilot, and Perplexity collect. Gemini also collects a significant amount of
data across various other categories, such as contact info (name, email
address, phone number, etc.), user content, contacts (such as a list of
contacts in the user’s phone), search history, browsing history, and several
other types of data. This extensive data collection may be seen as
excessive and intrusive by those concerned about data privacy and
security.
ChatGPT collects 10 types of data, such as contact information, user
content, identifiers, usage data, and diagnostics, while avoiding tracking
data or using third-party advertising within the app. While ChatGPT collects
chat history, it is possible to use temporary chats, which auto-delete all
data after 30 days, or to request the removal of personal data from training
sets⁴. Overall, ChatGPT collects slightly fewer types of data than some
other analyzed apps, but users should still review the privacy policy to
understand how this data is used and protected.
Copilot, Poe, and Jasper are the three apps that collect data used to track
you. This data could be sold to data brokers or used to display targeted
advertisements in your app¹. While Copilot and Poe only collect device IDs,
Jasper collects device IDs, product interaction data, advertising data, and
other usage data, which refers to “any other data about user activity in the
app”.¹
DeepSeek's data collection practices stand comfortably in the middle
ground among other AI chatbot apps. DeepSeek collects 11 unique types of
data, such as user input, including chat history, and claims to retain
30% of popular AI chatbots share data with third parties
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information for as long as necessary, storing it on servers located in the
People's Republic of China³.
Don't let your guard down, as chats stored on servers are always at risk of
being breached. According to The Hacker News², DeepSeek has already
experienced a breach where more than 1 million records of chat history, API
keys, and other information were leaked. It is generally a good idea to be
mindful of the information provided.
Methodology and sources
We identified the 10 most popular AI chatbots⁵,⁶ and analyzed their privacy
details on the Apple App Store. The comparison was based on how many types
of data each app collects, whether it collects any data linked to you, and
whether the app includes third-party advertisers. We also checked the privacy
policies of DeepSeek³ and ChatGPT⁴ to better understand what kind of data is
kept on servers and for how long.
For the complete research material behind this study, visit here.
Data was collected from:
Apple (2025). App Store.
References:
¹ Apple. App privacy details on the App Store.² The Hacker News (2025).
DeepSeek AI Database Exposed: Over 1 Million Log Lines, Secret Keys Leaked.³
DeepSeek Privacy Policy.⁴ OpenAI Privacy policy.⁵ Tom's Guide (2025). The
best ChatGPT alternatives I've tested.⁶ TechTarget (2025). The best AI chatbots
for 2025: Compare features and costs.
30% of popular AI chatbots share data with third parties
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