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.
Never commit a key, and never paste a customer's data into a chat to debug it. If your project has a .env file, it belongs in .gitignore before you install anything, not after the first accidental push.
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: on a work repository, assume the assistant's suggestions are covered by your employer's policy, and read that policy before you paste anything in. 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
A coding assistant reads your repository, and a repository is where credentials, customer data and unpublished business logic live.
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.
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