AI Privacy for Normal People

What You Should Never Put Into an AI Chatbot

It's 11:17 p.m., and the house is quiet. A man sits on the couch with his laptop. He's been talking to an AI chatbot for almost an hour.

It started out harmless. He asked for help rewriting an email. He pasted in part of a contract. He uploaded a screenshot from his patient portal because one number worried him.

Then he closed the laptop, and a better question showed up a few minutes too late: how much did I just tell a machine?

You don't need to stop using AI. You just need to use it on purpose.

The 20-second habit

• PAUSE: Before you send, upload or connect, stop for a moment.
• REDUCE: Take out anything the task doesn't need.
• MASK: Swap out names, numbers and identifying details where you can.
• CHECK: Look at the service, the account, memory, privacy settings, permissions and any connected apps that matter here.
• SEND: Share, or allow, only the smallest version that still works.

What's inside

• 10 chapters (65 pages): the Never-Paste List, work information, money and identity, health, family and children, files, photos and screenshots, AI as a diary, AI agents, and what to do if you already shared something.
• Practical tools: the Four-Corner Check, the Clean-Copy Method, the Abstraction Ladder, the Permission Ladder and the Recovery Triage.
• Plain-English settings: what services such as ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude say they keep, and the controls you can change.

Who it's for

• Anyone who uses AI chatbots for email, work, money or health questions
• Parents who want simple rules the whole family can follow
• Anyone who already shared too much and wants to know what to do next

What it won't do

It isn't legal, medical, financial or cybersecurity advice. Platform features, settings, permissions and data-retention practices change often. Stone & Word Press isn't affiliated with or endorsed by any of these companies.

Why you can trust it

Product details in this book were last reviewed against each company's official help pages in October 2026. A full Sources & References section lists every page. Published by Stone & Word Press.

Quick questions



• What format is it? One PDF file. Read it on any phone, tablet or computer, or print it at home.
• When do I get it? Right after checkout. You'll also get a download link by email.
• What if it's not for me? Email contact@stoneandword.com within seven days of your purchase for a full refund.