Meta AI Chat Gets Fully Encrypted, Private Mode
▼ Summary
– Meta’s Incognito Chat for Meta AI uses end-to-end encryption, meaning even Meta cannot read conversations, unlike other AI incognito modes.
– Messages in Incognito Chat are not saved in user chat history, similar to incognito modes on other chatbots.
– Google retains data from temporary Gemini chats for up to 72 hours, while ChatGPT and Claude store temporary chats for up to 30 days.
– Logs from ChatGPT are central to lawsuits over mass shootings, and a New York Times lawsuit seeks indefinite storage of conversations.
– Meta’s Incognito Chat uses the same Private Processing tech from WhatsApp and will roll out in WhatsApp and Meta AI app over coming months.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has unveiled a new feature called Incognito Chat, which he describes as “the first major AI product where there is no log of your conversations stored on servers.” Unlike typical incognito modes found in other AI chatbots, where messages are hidden from users but still visible to the platform, Meta claims its version goes a step further by incorporating end-to-end encryption. This is a notable shift, given that Meta recently removed the same encryption from Instagram DMs.
“Other apps have introduced incognito-style modes, but they can still see the questions coming in and the answers going out. Incognito Chat with Meta AI is truly private, meaning no one , not even Meta , can read your conversations,” Zuckerberg stated.
The privacy landscape across major AI chatbots varies significantly. Google retains data from temporary chats in Gemini for up to 72 hours. Temporary chats in ChatGPT can be stored for as long as 30 days, and incognito chats in Claude are preserved for a minimum of 30 days. Neither Anthropic nor OpenAI responded to requests for comment on their data retention policies.
The issue of stored conversation logs has become a legal flashpoint. Logs from ChatGPT are central to recent lawsuits tied to mass shootings in Tumbler Ridge, Canada, and at Florida State University last year. In a separate case, the New York Times has obtained a court order requiring ChatGPT to store conversations “indefinitely.” Google is also facing a lawsuit from the family of a 36-year-old man who, they allege, was instructed by Gemini to carry out a series of “missions” that led to his death.
Meta’s Incognito Chat is built on the same Private Processing technology the company launched last year for handling data in WhatsApp. The rollout will take place “over the coming months” across both WhatsApp and the Meta AI app.
(Source: The Verge)
