What your AI companion actually knows about you

An AI companion gives you a fictional conversation, while the information you type may be personal. Before creating an account, take a moment to decide what you want to share and what you want to understand about the service. A useful privacy check starts with specific questions, rather than the tone of a character’s replies.

Start with a nickname and a boundary

Choose a nickname that you are comfortable using on that service. A fictional setting can work for a conversation without including your employer, street address or someone else’s contact details. Before uploading a picture or using voice features, check how those different types of input are handled.

For example, describing an imaginary weekend is enough to explore a character’s style. Giving the address of the hotel where you are staying adds personal information that the conversation may not need. Decide what level of detail suits you before the chat becomes absorbing.

Read what the provider says it collects

Open the current privacy notice on the app’s own website. Look for a description of message content, account information, device information and any optional image or audio features. Note the organisation responsible for the service and its contact method.

A friendly character reply tells you about the conversation interface. The privacy notice tells you about the provider’s stated data practices. Keep those two sources of information separate. If a policy leaves an important question unanswered, ask the provider before sharing that kind of information.

Check retention, access and training separately

These are different questions:

• How long can the provider retain message content and account records?
• Which service providers or staff may access information, and for what purposes?
• Can conversations be used to develop models or evaluate the service?
• What choices are available, and where are their limits explained?

Look for the difference between personal data, data described as anonymised and data described as de-identified. Avoid assuming that one label answers all your questions. If training use matters to your decision, check that section explicitly and keep a dated note of the policy you read.

Understand what a private browser window changes

A private window mainly limits what the browser retains locally after that session. Information you submit to an online provider still reaches that provider. Private browsing is therefore a device-level choice; the service’s own handling of your messages remains a separate question.

On a shared device, also consider saved downloads, screenshots and whether you remain signed into a separate app. Review the browser’s documentation for its exact behaviour.

Plan your exit before paying

Find the instructions for conversation deletion, account deletion and subscription cancellation. Check whether one action also performs the others. Ask what happens to backups, billing records or information already used for other disclosed purposes. Deleting a visible conversation alone does not establish what happens to every retained copy or derived record.

If you subscribe, record the renewal date and the cancellation process shown at checkout. Keep the confirmation of any cancellation or deletion request. Review your billing account afterwards to confirm the result you expected.

For an example of the questions covered by a provider notice, read Candy.ai’s privacy policy. For general information about AI and personal data, see the CNIL’s AI resources. Return to the VeryFlirty selection when you are ready to explore.