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There is no single switch that stops every AI provider from using your content. Change the setting for the service that holds it—or, if you publish a website, configure the relevant crawler control. Each option covers a limited set of data and systems, and an opt-out should not be treated as a promise that material already collected or used in training will be removed.
Updated October 4, 2026. Providers change settings and policies, so check the linked official instructions before relying on a particular control. This guide covers OpenAI, Google, X/Grok, Meta, and YouTube; it is not an exhaustive list of AI services or legal advice.
Choose the control that matches where your content lives
An account setting usually controls data submitted to that service. A website crawler directive is for a site you manage. A platform’s controls for public posts may not cover private messages, other services, or every use of the platform’s AI. Use this table to find the relevant instructions:
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| Where the content is | Who can change the control | Control and scope |
|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT conversations or Codex tasks | Your account holder, or your workspace administrator for some workspace settings | OpenAI’s model-improvement setting or Privacy Portal choice; Codex environments have a separate setting. |
| Pages on a website you publish | The site publisher | Google-Extended in robots.txt for certain Gemini training and grounding uses; separate controls apply to Search AI features. |
| Public X posts or Grok interactions | Your X account | X’s data-sharing setting for model training and fine-tuning, with stated exceptions. |
| Facebook or Instagram posts | Your account, subject to available regional and account-specific controls | Meta’s cited explanation describes particular past data uses, but does not establish a universal current opt-out. |
| Use of YouTube AI features | Your Google Account | Activity review and deletion controls for AI-feature activity; these are distinct from training on creators’ published videos. |
Stop new ChatGPT conversations from being used to improve OpenAI models
- In ChatGPT, open Settings → Data controls.
- Turn off Improve the model for everyone. Alternatively, use the OpenAI Privacy Portal and select Do not train on my content.
OpenAI says either choice is sufficient for ChatGPT conversations and Codex tasks, and that new conversations after opting out are not used to improve its models. The control is not a general deletion or untraining request. OpenAI also says that if you submit feedback on a conversation—for example, a thumbs-up or thumbs-down—the associated conversation may be used for training despite the opt-out. If you use Codex, check its separate Include environments setting when you do not want full environments included.
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OpenAI says inputs and outputs in ChatGPT Business, Enterprise, Edu, API, and Academic Researchers workspaces are not used for model improvement by default. API organization owners may enable data sharing, so API users should confirm their organization’s configuration. See OpenAI’s explanation of how data is used to improve model performance.
Tell Google how it may use pages on your website
If you control a website, Google documents Google-Extended as a product token for robots.txt. It controls whether Google-crawled site content may be used to train future generations of Gemini models and for certain Gemini grounding uses. It is not a separate crawler or HTTP user agent: Google says it uses existing Google user-agent strings while applying this token as a control.
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For example, a publisher seeking to disallow access to all paths for this token can use the standard robots.txt pattern:
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Disallow: /Check Google’s current technical instructions before deploying a rule, then validate the live robots.txt. Google says the token does not affect whether a site appears in Google Search and is not a Search ranking signal. It is not a blanket block on Google’s AI features in Search: those use Googlebot access controls, while nosnippet, data-nosnippet, max-snippet, or noindex control how page content appears in Search AI features. Google warns that recrawling and processing changes can take from several days to several months. Read Google’s crawler documentation and Google’s guidance on AI features and your website.
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Turn off X’s data sharing for Grok training and fine-tuning
- On X, go to Privacy & Safety → Data sharing and personalization → Grok & Third-party Collaborators → Data Sharing.
- Turn off the option that allows public data and Grok interactions to be used for training and fine-tuning.
X says this opt-out does not prevent you from using Grok. It describes the setting as applying to model creation and fine-tuning, not as a block on deployed Grok-powered features learning through normal use. X also says feedback submitted on conversations may be used. Making your account private is an additional control X describes for posts; it is not a substitute for understanding the data-sharing setting. Check X’s information about Grok for the current wording and limits.
Facebook and Instagram: verify the options available to your account
Meta’s Newsroom explanation says that publicly shared Facebook and Instagram posts, including photos and text, were used for the generative-AI models discussed in that 2023 article. Meta said those models were not trained on private posts, and that private messages with friends and family were not used unless someone in the chat chose to share them with Meta AI.
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That explanation does not establish that one opt-out is currently available to every user, account, or country. Check the current Privacy Center and the options shown for your account and region rather than assuming that a setting described for one group applies to everyone. The source is Meta’s September 2023 explanation of privacy and its generative AI features.
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YouTube’s privacy notice covers prompts, outputs, material shared with YouTube AI features, related content, and feedback. It says YouTube AI Feature Activity is on by default and describes reviewing and deleting activity through Google Account tools, subject to service-specific storage periods. Use those tools if you want to review or delete the activity covered by the notice.
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The notice separately says recordings of a face and voice used for YouTube avatars are not used to train Google’s generative-AI models, except to address abuse or harm. These activity controls should not be mistaken for a general creator opt-out from training on published YouTube videos: the cited page does not establish such a control. See YouTube’s privacy notice for AI features.
What opting out does—and does not—establish
These controls differ in who operates them, the content they cover, and the systems they affect. A ChatGPT account choice, a website’s crawler rule, and an X data-sharing preference do not carry over to one another or to other providers. Read each provider’s scope and exceptions alongside the setting.
Do not assume that turning off future use removes content already collected or reverses training that has already taken place. The official sources cited here do not establish a cross-provider guarantee of that kind. They also do not settle what rights or procedures apply in every country; those can depend on jurisdiction and the particular service.
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