Module 4 · Career, projects and honesty Lesson 13 of 15
Ethics, privacy and what never to paste
These tools send what you type to somebody else's computer and keep it in a history. Never paste passwords, government ID numbers, bank or card details, medical records, or another person's private data — and never paste a company's confidential document.
The concept
There is no version of this tool where your text stays on your laptop. Everything you type is sent to a server, kept in a history you can usually see, and may be reviewed or used to improve the product depending on the plan.
Before installing anything, check your .gitignore covers your secrets, and prefer a plan whose terms keep your code out of training. On a work project, use the account your employer has approved rather than your personal one.
The practical rule for a fresher: replace the real thing with a stand-in. "Client A", "my friend's phone number", "the amount in the offer letter". The tool rarely needs the real value to do the work, and the stand-in costs you nothing.
And the professional rule: an unpublished repository does not go into a personal account with training enabled. If your employer has an approved plan or a policy, that policy is the answer, not your judgement about how sensitive a file really is.
Worked example
An assistant with access to your project sees every file in it, including the one with the credentials you meant to move later.
Your practice task
Go through your last five conversations and delete anything containing a real phone number, a client name, or a document you did not write. If you cannot find the delete button, that is the lesson.
Do this before moving on. Reading a solution teaches the shape of it; typing it teaches you.
Key takeaway
There is no version of this tool where your text stays on your laptop.
Keep your place in this course
A free account saves which lessons you have finished and unlocks the certificate. The lesson itself stays free to read.
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You finished every lesson.
Your certificate is ready, and the projects you built are the proof to attach to an application.
Almost there
15 lessons left of 15
Finish every lesson to unlock the certificate. Each one ends in a practice task — do them and the final project brief writes itself.