Action required: opt out of GitHub Copilot AI training data before April 24

[arechste]

TL;DR

Before April 24, 2026, every org member should opt out of GitHub using Copilot interaction data for AI model training. This is a personal account setting — there is no org-level toggle.

What's happening

GitHub announced on March 25, 2026 that starting April 24, Copilot interaction data from Free, Pro, and Pro+ users will be used to train AI models. This is opt-out by default — if you do nothing, your data will be used.

ntnxlab-ch is on the Free plan, which means:

• No org-level privacy controls exist
• The "paid org member" auto-exclusion does not apply to us
• Each member must opt out individually

What data is collected if you don't opt out

• Code snippets sent to and returned by Copilot (including from private repos)
• Code context, file names, repo structure visible during Copilot sessions
• Chat conversations with Copilot
• Accepted/modified suggestions and feedback signals
• Data is shared with Microsoft

Not collected: repos at rest, GitHub API usage, GitHub Actions data.

How to opt out

1. Go to https://github.com/settings/copilot
2. Find the Privacy section
3. Disable "Allow GitHub to use my data for AI model training"
4. Done — takes effect immediately

If you don't see this setting, you may already be opted out from a prior preference.

Who needs to do this

Every member of this org who has a personal GitHub account on a Free, Pro, or Pro+ plan — which is all of us.

Copilot Business and Enterprise subscribers are contractually excluded, but that doesn't apply to our org.

Why we recommend opting out

• Private repo code sent through Copilot interactions would be included in training data
• No way to audit or control what specific code is used once collected
• License implications are unclear for copyleft-licensed code
• No benefit to us — opt back in later if you change your mind

Deadline

April 24, 2026 — 24 days from now.

References

• GitHub Blog announcement
• GitHub Privacy Statement / ToS changes
• GitHub Community FAQ
• Copilot privacy settings docs

[arechste]

Additional concern: Public Gists

The Copilot opt-out toggle at github.com/settings/copilot only covers Copilot interaction data (code sent to Copilot while you're actively coding).

Public Gists have a separate exposure under the updated Terms of Service (Section D.8): GitHub has a license to use all publicly accessible content — including public Gists — for AI model training. There is no opt-out for this.

What this means

Content type	Covered by Copilot opt-out?	Exposed for AI training?
Private repo code sent to Copilot	Yes	No (if opted out)
Public repo code at rest	N/A	Yes (ToS D.8, no opt-out)
Public Gists	N/A	Yes (ToS D.8, no opt-out)
Secret (unlisted) Gists	N/A	Likely no (not publicly accessible)

Recommended action

Review your public Gists at https://gist.github.com/YOUR-USERNAME. If any contain proprietary or sensitive code:

• Convert them to secret (unlisted) Gists
• Or delete them if no longer needed

Secret Gists are not indexed or publicly accessible, so they should be treated like private repos under the policy.

Reference

• GitHub Terms of Service — Section D.8
• GitHub Blog: Copilot data usage policy