What not to paste: a one-page card

The four kinds of information to stop and think about before they go into an AI tool, a traffic-light test, how to get help without the data, and what to do if something slips through.

Fills in 6 live facts when you download it Latest check 27 Sep 2026

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# What not to paste

Every prompt is information leaving your hands. Before you paste, the question
is not "will this help?" but **"am I allowed to share this, with this tool, on
this account?"**

## Four things to stop and think about

- **Personal data.** Anything about an identifiable living person: names, contact
  details, dates of birth, account numbers, photos, and combinations that identify
  someone without a name ("the only site manager in our Bristol office").
- **Special category data.** Health, racial or ethnic origin, religious or
  philosophical beliefs, political opinions, trade union membership, genetic or
  biometric data, sex life or sexual orientation. Criminal records have their own
  protections. These rarely belong in a general-purpose chatbot.
- **Client and commercial data.** Client files, tenders, pricing, board papers,
  unreleased plans, anything under a contract, a duty of confidence or an NDA.
- **Secrets.** Passwords, API keys, access tokens, bank details. Never, on any

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Where this is taught properly