Gemini
Is Gemini safe?
- Made by
- Company based in
- United States
- Trains on your chats
- Yes, unless you opt out
- People can read chats
- Yes
- Temporary chat mode
- Yes
- Chats used for ads
- No
- Minimum age
- 13
- Regulator actions listed
- 2
- Checked on
Google does not use Gemini chats to show you ads, but with Keep Activity on, which is the default for users 18 and over, your chats are used to improve Google’s services, including training its AI models, and a subset is read by human reviewers. Chats a reviewer has seen are disconnected from your account and kept for up to three years, even if you delete your activity.
Turning Keep Activity off stops training on future chats, but Google still keeps them for 72 hours. Activity otherwise auto-deletes after 18 months by default. Temporary chats are not used for training. Workspace (work and school) accounts are not reviewed by humans or used to train models outside the organisation without permission.
Ireland’s Data Protection Commission opened an inquiry in September 2024 into how Google assessed data protection risks before developing its PaLM 2 model; it concerns model development, not the Gemini app directly.
- Company responsible for your data
- Google LLC; Google Ireland Limited in the EEA and Switzerland
- What is used for training
- With Keep Activity on (default for users 18+), Google uses your Gemini Apps activity "to provide, develop, and improve its services (including training generative AI models)", and a subset of chats is reviewed by humans. Audio and Gemini Live video/screenshares are not used for improvement by default (separate opt-in). Temporary chats are never used for training. Your Gemini settings "don't control processing of your chats to create anonymized data to improve Google services."
- How to turn training off
- gemini.google.com > Settings & help > Activity > near the top, click On > "Turn off" or "Turn off and delete activity" (or myactivity.google.com/product/gemini). With Keep Activity off, future chats are not used for training unless you send feedback, but are still kept for 72 hours.
- Business and API plans
- Workspace (work/school) chats and uploads in the Gemini app "won't be reviewed by human reviewers or otherwise used to train generative AI models outside of your domain without your permission." Paid Gemini API: Google "doesn't use your prompts... or responses to improve our products". Unpaid API/AI Studio content is used to improve products.
- How long chats are kept
- Gemini Apps Activity auto-deletes after 18 months by default; you can change this to 3 or 36 months or turn auto-delete off. With Keep Activity off, chats are still kept with your account for 72 hours. Chats reviewed by human reviewers are kept, disconnected from your account, "for up to three years". Some usage data is kept until you delete your Google Account.
- After you delete a chat or account
- Deletion starts immediately: Google aims to remove activity from view at once and then begins deleting it from storage. Chats already reviewed by human reviewers "are not deleted when you delete your activity" and are kept up to 3 years. Deleting Gemini activity does not delete data saved in other Google services.
- Human review
- Yes. "A subset of chats are reviewed by human reviewers (including Google's trained service providers)" to improve services and for safety. Chats are disconnected from your account before going to service providers. Reviewing for protection and safety continues even with Keep Activity off or in temporary chats. The notice says: "Please don't enter confidential information that you wouldn't want a reviewer to see."
- Temporary chat
- Temporary chat (next to New chat): does not appear in Gemini Apps Activity or recent chats, is not personalised and is not used to train Google's AI models. It is kept with your account for 72 hours. Available only on personal accounts in the Gemini web and mobile apps.
- Where data is stored
- Google's privacy policy: "We maintain servers around the world and your information may be processed on servers located outside of the country where you live." No Gemini-specific data location is stated for consumers.
- Age rules
- 13 (or the applicable age in your country) for personal accounts. Under-13s can use it via Family Link, a parent-supervised account (not in the EEA, Switzerland or UK). Work accounts require 18+, and Google AI paid plans require 18+ in the EEA, Switzerland and UK.
- Ads
- "Your Gemini Apps chats are not being used to show you ads. If this changes, we will clearly communicate it to you."
- Security and certifications
- Google privacy policy: "We use encryption to keep your data private while in transit"; access is restricted to employees, contractors and agents who need it. Google reports that the Gemini app (Workspace context) has SOC 1/2/3, ISO 9001, ISO/IEC 27001, 27701, 27017, 27018 and 42001, FedRAMP High and HIPAA support. These are stated for Gemini in Workspace and the Gemini app for business customers, not specifically for consumer accounts. Trust page: https://knowledge.workspace.google.com/admin/generative-ai/generative-ai-in-google-workspace-privacy-hub
- Regulator actions
Date Authority Action Source 2024-09-12 Data Protection Commission (Ireland) Opened a cross-border statutory inquiry into Google Ireland Limited over whether it did a Data Protection Impact Assessment before processing EU/EEA personal data to develop its foundation model PaLM 2. This concerns model development, not the Gemini app directly. https://www.dataprotection.ie/en/news-media/press-releases/data-protection-commission-launches-inquiry-google-ai-model 2025-09-11 US Federal Trade Commission Issued 6(b) orders to seven companies, including Alphabet, Inc., for a study of AI chatbots acting as companions and their effects on children and teens. This is a study, not an enforcement action. https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2025/09/ftc-launches-inquiry-ai-chatbots-acting-companions - Privacy policy
- support.google.com
- Terms
- policies.google.com
- Data controls help page
- support.google.com
- Sources
Page URL Gemini Apps Privacy Hub and Privacy Notice (hub updated Jul 15, 2026; notice Jun 29, 2026) https://support.google.com/gemini/answer/13594961?hl=en Manage & delete your activity in Gemini Apps https://support.google.com/gemini/answer/13278892?hl=en What you need to sign in to Gemini Apps (age requirements) https://support.google.com/gemini/answer/13278668 Gemini Apps limits and upgrades for Google AI subscribers (18+ in EEA/CH/UK) https://support.google.com/gemini/answer/16275805?hl=en-AW Guide your child's Gemini Apps experience (Family Link) https://support.google.com/families/answer/16109150?hl=en Use Gemini Apps: start a temporary chat https://support.google.com/gemini/answer/13275745?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop Google blog: Temporary chats and privacy controls (Aug 13, 2025) https://blog.google/products-and-platforms/products/gemini/temporary-chats-privacy-controls/ Google Privacy Policy https://policies.google.com/privacy Generative AI in Google Workspace Privacy Hub https://knowledge.workspace.google.com/admin/generative-ai/generative-ai-in-google-workspace-privacy-hub Gemini API Additional Terms of Service https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/terms Irish DPC press release, 12 Sep 2024 https://www.dataprotection.ie/en/news-media/press-releases/data-protection-commission-launches-inquiry-google-ai-model FTC 6(b) AI companion chatbots press release https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2025/09/ftc-launches-inquiry-ai-chatbots-acting-companions