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Is Character.AI private? What happens to your chats

September 27, 2026

Private from other users, yes: people who chat with the same character cannot see your conversations. Private from Character.AI, no. Its own privacy policy says it collects your chat communications and the images and voice you share, and uses that information to improve its services, including training its models and tailoring advertising. Staff can access chats for safety, abuse and legal reasons. Treat it as a stored record, not a diary. If you want a conversation with no transcript kept, that is what nixm is for.

The short answer

Character.AI is built around long, personal conversations with characters, which is exactly why the privacy question matters more here than on a search-style assistant. People tell companion characters things they would never type into a work tool. The honest answer is that those conversations are private from other users and not much else.

What Character.AI's own policy says

Character.AI's privacy policy is the primary source here, and it covers four things:

  • What it collects: your chat communications, plus images, videos and voice recordings you share, characters you create, and account details such as your email, birth date and approximate location.
  • Training: the policy lists training its AI and machine-learning models among the uses of that information.
  • Advertising: it also lists providing advertising, including tailored advertising.
  • Access: Character.AI and its service providers can access content to run the service, enforce its rules, investigate abuse and respond to legal requests.

Reports differ on whether you can switch training off. Some 2026 write-ups describe a training opt-out appearing in settings in July; others describe no general opt-out. Check your own settings rather than assuming either way. Character.AI itself advises users not to share sensitive information in chats.

How long chats are kept

Chats stay in your account while it exists. Deleting a conversation removes it from your view, and deleting your account starts removal of your data, but the policy does not promise a short, fixed window the way some assistants do. For anything you would not want to exist in a year, the safe assumption is that it might.

Can staff read your chats?

Not routinely: the volume makes that impossible. But the policy allows access for trust and safety, and automated classifiers flag conversations for review. Chats involving reported content, policy violations or legal requests can be read by people. There is no end-to-end encryption.

Teens

This is where most parents' questions start. Character.AI announced in October 2025 that it would end open-ended chats with characters for users under 18, and it has added age checks and teen-specific experiences since. For a teen who does use it, the same rule applies as for adults, and more so: treat it as a record, not a confidant.

Using it more carefully

  • Leave out real names, addresses, schools, workplaces and anything medical or legal.
  • Check your settings for any training or personalisation controls available in your region.
  • Delete conversations you no longer want, and delete your account if you are done with the service.
  • Keep in mind that a character's creator cannot see your chats, but the company running it can.

How it compares

Character.AI is closer to a social platform than to a privacy tool. Its business includes advertising and model training on user content, which puts it at the stored-and-used end of the range. How it compares with ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and the rest is in what each AI chatbot keeps. What "private" can mean is in the most private AI chatbot.

Where nixm fits

nixm is not a companion app and does not try to be one. It is a place to think something through with an AI that thinks back. nixm doesn't keep a transcript. A distilled log of the session stays with the signal for seven days, then dissolves, along with any images you uploaded. Nothing you type is used for training or advertising. For the conversations you would not want stored anywhere, nixm is the version with no transcript to keep.

frequently asked

Is Character.AI private?

Private from other users, but not from Character.AI. Its privacy policy says chats are collected and can be used to train its models and tailor advertising, and staff can access them for safety and legal reasons.

Can Character.AI staff read my chats?

Not routinely, but yes when needed. The policy allows access to enforce its rules, investigate abuse and respond to legal requests, and flagged conversations can be reviewed by people.

Does Character.AI use my chats for training?

Its privacy policy lists training its AI models among the uses of what you share. Reports differ on whether a training opt-out is available, so check your own settings.

Can the creator of a character see my chats?

No. Other users, including a character's creator, cannot see your private conversations. The company running the service can.

Is Character.AI safe for kids?

Character.AI announced in October 2025 that it would end open-ended character chats for users under 18. Whatever the age, treat conversations as stored records and keep personal details out.

How do I delete my Character.AI data?

Delete individual chats in the app, or delete your account to start removal of your data. The policy does not promise a short fixed deletion window.

Can I try nixm without an account?

Yes. Open nixm.ai and seed a signal, with no sign-up and no transcript kept.

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