This was from today's AMA with Aravind and the product lead Leonid on r/chatgpt about Comet. When asked about privacy concerns, he said:

A big technical challenge for building a digital assistant that’s actually useful is it has to understand the context of your queries, preferences, and sometimes even sensitive online activity. Just like a human assistant has access to some of your information. This is one reason why we hybridize the compute between the browser and the server.

Your browsing data is comprehensively stored locally on your own device, including:

•⁠ ⁠Browsing activity: URLs, search queries, cookies, open tabs, and site permissions

•⁠ ⁠Technical data: Device OS information, crash logs, and IP address (these are used for security and troubleshooting)

•⁠ ⁠Extensions and credentials: Add-ons, passwords, payment methods, and profile settings

This local storage allows Comet to provide features like navigational recommendations, tab management, and AI-powered help, all without sending your activity to remote servers. Only when you ask a question that requires personalized context does Comet use minimal, relevant data from your session to fulfill your request. Even then, transmission to Perplexity's servers is tightly scoped and purpose-limited. All these queries can be deleted on your history or done incognito to ensure it stays local to you and only you.

I thought it was a fair take. It's impossible to build an AI assistant that's genuinely helpful without context about you and what you like / don't like. And those who are uncomfortable with this can stop using Comet; essentially sacrificing utility for privacy. Thought it'd be useful for those on here that were likely wondering - thoughts?

Hi all, Comet is immensely interesting to me as I am a heavy power user of AI and my browser on my day to day. I saw an ad for it recently and many of the features seemed super interesting to me, but my concerns with it's safety and privacy is what I wonder most about.

For context, I use Google Chrome, ChaptGPT, and occasionally Gemini for my day-to-day, and I'm aware how much of my data goes to them, but is Comet any worse? Also, how easy as a Chrome user would it be for me to switch over? Are most/all chrome extensions compatible with Comet? Has anyone had any issues with it where Firefox or Chrome would perform better (specifically in regards to working with Canvas for school assignment/tests)?

If you can provide any insight to my questions/help me understand Comet a bit more, I would be greatly appreciative, thank you!

Beware in guest mode, it seems like there is no way to remove your conversation with the AI.

To a point that I believe it is too open, because it actually assigns a public permanent link URL for you and everyone to refer back to the same conversation and engage in further conversation.

Any thoughts?

Hello everyone, how do you feel about Comet being able to access all your personal data and accounts? I have some big reservations on that, in particular on the fact that there is very little control on the LLM elaborations being made on the data Comet accesses. They say everything is kind of handled locally, but what about all the LLM searches and reasoning? What happens with that data? Are we really sure there is no further elaboration with that data and how sure can we be of how that data is handled?

Do you have some more insights about this?

New addition of perplexity pro does perplexity get that input? I have never heard of perplexity before this.

I’ve been using it and it’s a relief to simply be provided answers and information to my queries rather than ads.

But has anybody here looked under the hood or have any insight and do the privacy and/or security of it?

WARNING STATEMENT Potential Risks and Concerns Associated with Perplexity AI As a user of Perplexity AI, you should be aware of the potential risks and concerns associated with its data handling practices. While Perplexity AI's Privacy Policy and Terms of Service provide some information on data collection, use, and sharing, there are ambiguities and potential concerns that users should be aware of. Data Collection and Use Perplexity AI collects various types of information, including API usage data, user account information, and search queries. While the company claims that it does not utilize the data provided to and generated by its API for the purpose of training Perplexity models or enhancing Perplexity's services, users should be aware that their data may still be used for other purposes. Lack of Transparency Perplexity AI's Privacy Policy does not provide clear information on how user data is used, shared, or protected. This lack of transparency raises concerns about the potential misuse of user data. Opt-Out Policy Users must opt-out of data retention by updating their account settings, which may not be a straightforward process. This opt-out policy may not be sufficient to protect user data. Data Security While Perplexity AI takes data security seriously, the company may disclose user data if required by law or in response to a valid request by public authorities. This raises concerns about the potential for data breaches or unauthorized access to user data. Sharing of Information Perplexity AI may share user data with service providers, which could potentially compromise user data. This sharing of information raises concerns about the potential for data misuse or exploitation. Recommendations Review the Privacy Policy: Users should carefully review the Perplexity AI Privacy Policy to understand how their data is collected, used, and shared. Opt-Out of Data Retention: Users should consider opting out of data retention by updating their account settings. Use Alternative AI Tools: Users may want to consider using alternative AI tools that prioritize user privacy and transparency. Contact Perplexity AI: Users can contact Perplexity AI at [email protected] with any questions or concerns about the Privacy Policy. Conclusion While Perplexity AI's data handling practices are not necessarily malicious, the lack of transparency and potential concerns raise red flags. Users should be cautious and take steps to protect their data. We will continue to monitor Perplexity AI's data handling practices and update this statement as necessary.

Perplexity AI, a search engine valued at $3 billion and backed by investors like Jeff Bezos, has been accused of plagiarism and unethical data scraping practices. The company allegedly scrapes content from reputable sources without proper attribution, potentially infringing on copyright and undermining the core principles of a free and open web. This has led to concerns about the sustainability of content creation and the potential for misinformation. Perplexity AI operates outside of Google’s ecosystem, which has started cracking down on AI content in search rankings to protect intellectual property. This has raised fears of a vicious cycle where tools designed to enhance information accessibility ultimately diminish the pool of original content available, leading to a degradation of the overall information ecosystem. The company has been accused of ignoring robots.txt files, which instruct web crawlers on which pages they can and cannot access, and bypassing paywalls to access exclusive content without permission. This not only deprives publications of revenue but also undermines the value of investigative journalism. Perplexity AI's practices have sparked considerable debate, with some arguing that innovation should not come at the expense of ethical principles. The company has been urged to address these concerns by respecting robots.txt guidelines, developing ethical scraping practices, and being transparent about its data sources and how it generates answers. Users of Perplexity AI should be aware of the potential risks and concerns associated with its data handling practices, including a lack of transparency and potential misuse of user data. It is recommended that users review the Privacy Policy, opt-out of data retention, and consider using alternative AI tools that prioritize user privacy and transparency.

I got an invite from 1Password to download and use Perplexity Comet Browser. Looking at the browser, there are a lot of concerns about privacy. Especially mining personal data and injection of information. What are the thoughts of this group? Why 1Password is collaborating with Perplexity?

I've been a Perplexity Pro user for almost a year now, and generally am pleased with it. I curate spaces based on my interests and am finding them to work well.

I am wondering what the key benefits may be of downloading the Windows 11 app instead of just using the browser-based version, but also considered about privacy/security.

Is anyone currently using the Windows app version that can speak to the general user experience and security/privacy pros/cons of the Perplexity Windows app?

Thanks!

Alot of concerns are spreading regarding Comets Privacy but for me the pros overrule the cons. With this in mind, what security and privacy settings can we as users set to maintain atleast some privacy?

I am using perplexity agents but the amount of permissions requested by it is SCARY. How is our data safe when perplexity can access every file on my mobile? Even it can see every notification including OTPs and bank sms. I am not sure how secure this is. Anyone has any idea?

Dear Reddit community,

You might’ve read Perplexity was named in a lawsuit filed by Reddit this morning. We know companies usually dodge questions during lawsuits, but we’d rather be up front.

Perplexity believes this is a sad example of what happens when public data becomes a big part of a public company’s business model.

Selling access to training data is an increasingly important revenue stream for Reddit, especially now that model makers are cutting back on deals with Reddit or walking away completely. (A trend Reddit has acknowledged in recent earnings reports).

So, why sue Perplexity? Our guess: it’s about a show of force in Reddit’s training data negotiations with Google and OpenAI. (Perplexity doesn’t train foundation models!)

Here’s where we push back. Reddit told the press we ignored them when they asked about licensing. Untrue. Whenever anyone asks us about content licensing, we explain that Perplexity, as an application-layer company, does not train AI models on content. Never has. So it is impossible for us to sign a license agreement to do so.

A year ago, after explaining this, Reddit insisted we pay anyway, despite lawfully accessing Reddit data. Bowing to strong arm tactics just isn’t how we do business.

What does Perplexity actually do with Reddit content? We summarize Reddit discussions, and we cite Reddit threads in answers, just like people share links to posts here all the time. Perplexity invented citations in AI for two reasons: so that you can verify the accuracy of the AI-generated answers, and so you can follow the citation to learn more and expand your journey of curiosity.

And that’s what people use Perplexity for: journeys of curiosity and learning. When they visit Reddit to read your content it’s because they want to read it, and they read more than they would have from a Google search.

Reddit changed its mind this week on whether they want Perplexity users to find your public content on their journeys of learning. Reddit thinks that’s their right. But it is the opposite of an open internet.

In any case, we won’t be extorted, and we won’t help Reddit extort Google, even if they’re our (huge) competitor. Perplexity will play fair, but we won’t cave. And we won’t let bigger companies use us in shell games.

We’re here to keep helping people pursue wisdom of any kind, cite our sources, and always have more questions than answers. Thanks for reading.

Hello!

Just like the title: do you think Perplexity AI can be trusted? What are your opinions? Do you know something more?

Thanks!

Curious to know your opinion on websites like Perplexity or You.com :) I do want to use one (or other-pls recommend) of them for work related stuff, but not sure which one is more privacy respecting?

I do know that in order to use them (or ChatGPT, Claude…) I would have to give up some privacy, but in my opinion, it is a sacrifice I’m personally willing to make.

What is your opinion and which service would make me sacrifice the least?

Thanks!