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GitHub Will Train Copilot on User Interaction Data Starting April 24 Unless Users Opt Out

The opt-out default raises privacy questions for developers.

Overview

  • GitHub, which disclosed the change Wednesday, will start using interaction data from Copilot Free, Pro, and Pro+ to train its AI models on April 24 unless users turn it off.
  • Copilot Business and Enterprise accounts, plus students and teachers, are excluded from training, and GitHub says any data used may be shared only with affiliates such as Microsoft.
  • The company defines interaction data as prompts, generated suggestions, accepted or edited outputs, code context near the cursor, file names, repository layout, editor navigation, feature use, and thumbs-up or down feedback.
  • GitHub says content from private repositories at rest stays out of training, but code processed while using Copilot in a private repo can be learned from unless you opt out.
  • Users can disable training in Settings → Copilot → Features → Privacy, and developers are already circulating step-by-step audits and opt-out guides in response to the rollout.