The Human Factor: 6 Ways Your Private AI Chats Can Still Leak

In our last post, we secured the “digital front door” by opting out of model training. With that control in place, you might assume your data is completely sealed off. However, the list of realistic leak paths simply shrinks to a short, manageable list. It’s crucial to see these not as unique AI flaws, but as the same vectors that can expose a confidential email—a mix of human error, device security, and standard legal obligations for any cloud provider.

Once you’ve toggled training OFF and enabled MFA, here are the six ways your chat could still be exposed:

Vector	What It Looks Like in Real Life	How to Neutralize It
1. Human Mis-Share	You click “Share → Public Link” by mistake or paste a sensitive AI response into a public channel.	Double-check sharing scopes; treat AI outputs with the same care as any confidential document. This is the most common failure mode.
2. Compromised Device/Credentials	An attacker phishes your credentials or uses malware on your device to log in as you and view your chat history.	Use Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), maintain good endpoint security, and be wary of suspicious browser extensions.
3. Third-Party GPTs & Plugins	A custom GPT forwards your prompt to an external API. Not all do, but any with API integration can expose data to that third party.	Vet all plugins carefully. Stick to first-party tools or enterprise-sandboxed GPTs for sensitive data.
4. Prompt Injection	An evolving security risk where a malicious document or website contains hidden instructions telling the model to send your data elsewhere.	Be cautious with untrusted documents. Responsible vendors are constantly patching these vectors.
5. Support/Abuse Review	A common industry standard where flagged conversations (e.g., for spam) may be reviewed by audited staff for safety purposes.	This relies on the provider’s internal SOC 2 controls. The best defense is to avoid creating content that would trigger these flags.
6. Legal Subpoena	Like any SaaS provider, AI companies can be compelled by a court to preserve or hand over user logs.	This legal exposure applies to all cloud tools. Have a clear data retention policy and delete chats you no longer need.

Mastering these six points shifts the focus from platform security to operational discipline. In our next post, we will compare how paid business tiers give organizations the tools to centrally manage these very risks. To assess your team’s current AI risk profile, contact Spark AI Strategy today.