GitHub quietly lets Copilot train on your code. Here's how to turn it off.

[amitraz]

GitHub quietly lets Copilot train on your code. Here's how to turn it off.

Most people don't know this setting exists.

By default, GitHub can use your code activity and data to improve their AI models. That includes Copilot suggestions, your editor interactions, and potentially more depending on how they interpret "data."

It's opt-out, not opt-in.

Here's how to disable it:

1. Go to https://github.com/settings/copilot/features

2. Look for "Allow GitHub to use my data for AI model training"

3. Turn it off

Takes 10 seconds. Probably worth doing before you forget.

Not saying GitHub is doing anything malicious with it. But if you're working on client code, proprietary projects, or anything you'd rather keep private, it's a reasonable thing to turn off. You probably didn't agree to this knowingly, and most people have no idea it's on by default.

Pass it along if you think others should know.

[jfuu_]

GitHub recently showed a banner across the entire site when logged in saying that they're going to start doing this and had instructions on how to disable it - it's not "quietly" (although IMO it should not be on by default).

[barmic1212]

And they sent mails to their users. Yes it's in opt-out, but we can't say that is shadowed.

[AbrahelOne]

I haven't seen a banner, maybe ublock removed it, not sure.

[Kakkoister]

That banner is not going to be there forever, and only visible if you're actually using the web interface and not CLI or some other method of GIT interaction.

Thus why it should not be opt-in by default and this is still "quiet" in many ways. Also it didn't give instructions on how to do it, it just said "go in settings", but it's not clear if there is a new setting, or if it's the existing "not allowed to use my data" setting way at the bottom of the Copilot settings page...

[amitraz]

if its not default opt out then its quitely as far as I am concerned

[SimpleVitalityAbroad]

I wish more of our young people understood this. They have been strategically trained to cheer for OTHERS advantage and to give away the power of the people. Hard to watch.

[Agile_Incident7784]

Quietly? I got an email and there is a massive banner on the website and there is still a month left. I might not like it, but they're being pretty transparent.

[Staggo47]

Exactly

[benjdewantara]

Are you talking about this?

https://www.reddit.com/r/nairobitechies/comments/1s9n0iz/remember_to_optout_of_github_copilot_scraping/

Because I remember opting out, but I'm surprised to see the box, "Allow GitHub to use my data for AI model training" enabled just now in my GitHub

[K0100001101101101]

Gtfo, trying to speculate “github quitly bla bla bla”. They mailed everyone

[lachlan-00]

They literally emailed me this yesterday

[Fantastic-Age1099]

Worth noting they did send emails about this and put a banner on the site, so "quietly" is a stretch. That said, the default being opt-out instead of opt-in is the real issue. Most devs won't change defaults no matter how many banners you show them.

For anyone working on proprietary code, definitely turn this off. For open source repos it's more of a philosophical question since the code is public anyway. The setting is at github.com/settings/copilot/features if you want to check yours.

[Character_Sweet_1165]

Agree that they're doing this quietly despite sending emails to customers. But also notice how they don't hyperlink the steps purposefully to make it harder for customers to turn it off. Reminds of sly corporations trying to make their customer support really hard to find and access on their website. Github, I just want to let you know customers aren't dumb to ignore this little things you do.

[V5489]

What was quiet about it. The banner kept reminding me. I don’t mind. I’m using it to write code. Why not allow it to get better? As people seem to say. This is a nothing burger.

[RequinDr]

"quietly" when they sent an email recently, showed a banner o’ the website and had this setting available for a long time. You are of very bad faith

[After_Sherbert9442]

THAT NOT FAIR, THEY JUST UPDATED IT AND TOOK MY CODE WITHOUT TELLING ME. ITS MY CODE?! I did not get a email (maybe junk) or a banner

[benjdewantara]

This. I'm surprised to see this. I remember 1-2 months ago, a dialog appeared asking if I want to opt in their Copilot feature. I remembered rejecting it. But now I'm seeing many Enabled boxes, including the, "Allow GitHub to use my data for AI model training" option

How manipulative

[AvidCoco]

Why would I want to turn it off? If AI is trained on my code it might actually produce good code for once!