GitHub Copilot Data Privacy Policy

GitHub Copilot Data Policy Changes: Deadline is April 24

On March 25, 2026, GitHub officially announced significant changes to Copilot interaction data usage policies. Starting April 24, Copilot Free, Pro, and Pro+ user interaction data will be used for AI model training by default (opt-in).

The critical part is "by default." Unless you specifically opt-out, code snippets, context information, and navigation patterns will automatically be sent to GitHub and Microsoft AI model training. This has substantial impact on the engineering community, and many organizations are taking immediate action.

Fortunately, there is a way to completely avoid this. This article presents an exact understanding of the policy changes and suitable response measures for your situation.

Scope of Collected Data: Broader Than Expected

The scope of data GitHub officially announced collecting is much broader than developers might expect. It's not just "suggested code snippets," but includes almost all IDE interactions happening in your environment.

Explicitly Collected Data

Data Type	Concrete Content	Sensitivity	Impact
Code snippet	Input sent to Copilot, accepted/modified output	High	High (intellectual property concern)
Context information	Code around cursor, file names, repository structure	High	Medium
File metadata	File path, file type, project names	Medium	Medium
Navigation patterns	File-to-file movements, exploration frequency, usage patterns	Medium	Low
Comments/Documentation	Comments, documentation text, commit messages	High	High
Feature interactions	Chat, inline suggestions, feedback (like/dislike)	Low	Low

Particularly noteworthy is "context information." This means the code around the cursor (typically a few lines of before/after code) that Copilot needs to generate recommendations is included in training data. This includes not just "accepted code" but also "rejected code" or "viewed code."

⚠️ Important: GitHub explicitly stated that source code stored at rest in private repositories will not be used for training. However, while using Copilot, code from private repos is processed as "session data," and if you don't opt-out, this session data will be included in the learning pipeline. This is a very important distinction.

Data Explicitly NOT Collected

GitHub's explicitly stated exceptions:

• "Stored content" in private repos (though session data before opt-out is included)
• GitHub Issues, Discussions, Pull Request body
• Project configuration files (though dependency lists in package.json are included)
• Environment variables, API keys, secrets (theoretically, but impossible to detect in practice)

Affected Plans and Unaffected Plans

Plan	Affected	Action Required	Data Usage Possible
Copilot Free	Yes	Required (before April 24)	Yes (by default)
Copilot Pro	Yes	Required (before April 24)	Yes (by default)
Copilot Pro+	Yes	Required (before April 24)	Yes (by default)
Copilot Business	No	None	No (company policy)
Copilot Enterprise	No	None	No (company policy)

Users of Business and Enterprise plans are not affected by this policy change because organization-level data policies take precedence. However, Free, Pro, and Pro+ users must take action before April 24.

How to Opt-Out: Completed in 2 Minutes

Individual Users: GitHub Web Configuration

Step 1: Go to github.com/settings/copilot
Step 2: Scroll down the page
Step 3: Find the "Privacy" section
Step 4: Uncheck the box "Allow GitHub to use my Copilot interactions for AI training"
Step 5: Automatically saved (no save button needed)

More detailed path:

GitHub Profile → Settings
  → Copilot (left menu)
    → Feature preferences
      → Uncheck "Allow GitHub to use my Copilot interactions for AI training"

Organization Administrators: Organization-Level Configuration

Organization owners can manage data policies for all organization members in bulk.

1. Access Organization Settings: github.com/organizations/{org}/settings/copilot
2. Navigate to "Organization settings" tab
3. In the "Policies" section:
   - Uncheck "Allow Copilot interactions to be used for AI training"
4. Applied to all members in the organization

# Batch configuration via API (advanced)
curl -X PATCH \
  https://api.github.com/orgs/{org}/copilot/policy \
  -H "Authorization: token $GITHUB_TOKEN" \
  -d '{"user_training_enabled": false}'

💡 Pro Tip: When an organization administrator configures the policy, it overrides individual member choices. Therefore, disabling data collection at the organization level is most effective. If you're a team lead or engineering manager, inform your organization about this.

Verify in IDE Plugins

You can also verify configuration in IDE plugins like VS Code and JetBrains IDE.

VS Code:
  1. Click the "Settings" icon in the bottom left
  2. Search Settings: "copilot"
  3. Find the "GitHub Copilot: Use Copilot Chatbot" item
  4. Navigate to GitHub web settings

IntelliJ IDEA:
  1. File → Settings → Tools → GitHub Copilot
  2. Uncheck "Send usage statistics" (local configuration)
  3. Log in with your personal GitHub account and opt-out on the web

Impact Analysis of Policy Change

Impact on Individual Developers

Risk Level: High

• Side project code may be included in training data
• Sensitive algorithms or business logic could be exposed
• Similar code may later appear in Copilot output (copyright concerns)

Recommended Action: Must opt-out

Impact on Corporate Engineers

Risk Level: Very High

• Company code may be included in GitHub's AI models
• If competitors use Copilot, similar code to company code could be generated
• Potential conflict with company security policies (no code sharing, IP protection)
• Especially risky if handling company code on personal accounts

Recommended Actions:

• Use Business/Enterprise plans for company code
• For personal accounts Free/Pro: must opt-out
• Team leaders should configure organization-level policies in bulk

Impact on Open Source Contributors

Risk Level: Medium

• Open source is already public code, so it's natural for it to be used as AI training data
• Copilot can actually be seen as contributing to the community
• MIT/Apache licensed code allows derivative use

Recommended Action: Optional

• No need to opt-out if only working with open source
• Opt-out recommended if also working with company code

Alternative Tool Review: Can Copilot Be Replaced?

Tool	Price	Performance	Data Policy	Recommendation
GitHub Copilot	Free / $10/mo (Pro)	Best	Policy Change	Use after opt-out
JetBrains AI Assistant	Free / $99/year	Good	Auto opt-out (by default)	Consider if privacy-focused
Amazon CodeWhisperer	Free / $19/mo	Good	No data collection (AWS-owned)	Recommended for AWS users
Tabnine	Free / $12/mo	Good	Local mode support (no data collection)	Recommended for privacy-conscious
Ollama (Local)	Free (open source)	Fair	Fully local (no data)	Maximum privacy

While completely switching to a new tool is cumbersome, GitHub Copilot's opt-out option exists, so attempting that configuration first is more practical.

Corporate Policy Establishment: Organization-Level Response

CISO/Security Team Checklist

Organization security officers should immediately verify:

• Identify number of Copilot users currently in organization
• Understand usage distribution of Free, Pro, and Enterprise plans
• Review whether company policy allows code sharing
• Verify compliance with data protection laws (GDPR, Personal Data Protection Act)
• Configure organization-level policies (opt-out/opt-in)

Recommended Policy:

Policy Example: "We disable Copilot data collection by default for all employees. If Business/Enterprise plans are needed, proceed through separate budget request."

Engineering Team Guidelines

When working with company code:
✅ Use Business/Enterprise plans (or prohibit personal account use)
✅ Verify opt-out settings
✗ Never work with company code using Free/Pro plans

Personal projects:
✅ Allowed to share data collection when only using publicly available open source
✅ Opt-out if sensitive logic/algorithms are included
✗ Absolutely prohibited if mixing company technology/business logic

IDE Configuration:
✅ Control plugin installation according to company policy
✅ Regularly verify data policies (quarterly)
✗ Never consent to context information collection

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Has interaction data already been collected?

No, collection begins April 24. If you opt-out now, you can block all future data collection. However, data collected before April 24 may still be affected even if you opt-out.

Q: Will Copilot performance degrade if I opt-out?

No, opt-out only refuses to provide data for learning. The Copilot model itself remains unchanged, so the quality of recommendations you receive is unaffected. However, when GitHub deploys updated models in the future without using your data, you will receive less personalization in the long term.

Q: Does Copilot Business really not collect data?

Correct. According to GitHub's official documentation, Copilot Business/Enterprise user interaction data is not used for model training. This is one of the major reasons organizations purchase Business/Enterprise plans.

Q: I previously opted-out of "data collection for product improvement." Do I need to take additional action?

The previous configuration and this new configuration are separate. Users who rejected "data collection for product improvement" previously will have that choice maintained, but the new "data usage for AI model training" policy must be opted-out separately. Be sure to verify at github.com/settings/copilot.

Q: I opted-out on GitHub web. Do I also need to verify in the IDE?

No, account-level configuration on GitHub automatically applies to all IDEs and clients. No separate IDE configuration is needed. However, if you want to disable general usage analytics (telemetry) in the IDE, you should check the IDE plugin configuration.

Checklist: Verify Now

Individual Developers:

• [ ] Go to github.com/settings/copilot
• [ ] Uncheck "Allow GitHub to use my Copilot interactions for AI training"
• [ ] Confirm saved
• [ ] Verify normal operation in IDE plugins

Organization Leaders/Administrators:

• [ ] Identify Copilot users in organization
• [ ] Verify current plans (Free/Pro/Business)
• [ ] Establish organization policy (data collection policy)
• [ ] Apply organization-level configuration (github.com/organizations/{org}/settings/copilot)
• [ ] Notify teams (policy changes, opt-out methods)
• [ ] Long-term planning (review need for Business/Enterprise transition)

Conclusion: Action Deadline is April 24

GitHub Copilot's data policy change carries significant meaning for the technology community. The tension between AI technology advancement and personal information protection has manifested as actual policy.

Fortunately, GitHub provides the freedom to opt-out. However, April 24 is the deadline. After that date, model training may begin with already-collected data.

Act today:

• Personal accounts: opt-out within 5 minutes
• Organization leaders: establish organization policy and notify teams
• Security officers: review and update company policy

There is no time to delay any longer.

This article was written with AI technology assistance. For more cloud-native engineering insights, visit the ManoIT Tech Blog.