AI tools and client data

Is Perplexity safe for client data?

Short answer: Whether Perplexity is safe for client data turns on which plan your staff are on, which account they signed in with, and what you have told them they may put in it — not on the product itself. On Free and Pro (personal account), Perplexity may use what staff type to train its models; on Enterprise Pro and the API, Perplexity says it does not train its models on what staff type, by default. Every fact on this page is Perplexity's own, quoted from its own pages and dated, and where we did not find a statement this page says so rather than filling the gap. Obsidian Ridge's free 30-day AI security assessment shows which AI tools your staff actually use.

By Kfir Yair, CISSP. Published . Updated .

See which AI tools your staff use

Plan by plan, in Perplexity’s own words

An answer engine people use instead of a search box, with an optional browser and an email assistant that reads messages when it is connected.

What you are askingFree and Pro (personal account)Enterprise Pro and the API
Trains the vendor's models by defaultYes. Improving and creating its AI models is one of the purposes Perplexity lists for the content people submit.“Improve or create services and products, including our AI models.” source, read No. Perplexity says an organisation's data is never used to train or fine-tune its models.“Your organization's data is never used to train or fine-tune Perplexity's models.” source, read
How to turn training offNot found in the pages we read.Not found in the pages we read.
How long data is keptNo period is published; Perplexity states a purpose test instead.“We keep your personal data for only as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes in this Notice” source, read Attachments go after a week, and Perplexity says larger organisations can set their own session retention.“Files attached to sessions are deleted after seven days.” source, read
What an admin can see or controlNot found in the pages we read.An admin sets each person's level of access from a Security Hub.“Admins use the Security Hub to give every team member the appropriate level of access within Perplexity.” source, read
Single sign-onNot found in the pages we read.Enterprise Pro only, and a person has to be invited to the organisation before it works.“We support single sign-on (SSO) with Enterprise Pro.” source, read
Business Associate AgreementNot found in the pages we read.Not found in the pages we read.
Where the data is processedNot found in the pages we read.Not found in the pages we read.

An empty cell is not a reassurance and not a criticism. "Not found in the pages we read." means the Perplexity pages listed under Sources, read on the dates shown, do not answer it — so there is nothing for us to repeat, and something for you to ask Perplexity before client information goes near it.

What this means for

The duty does not change because the tool is new. What changes is where the client information ends up.

  • Law firms. A client confidence pasted into a personal account has left the firm’s control. Our law firm page sets out the duties we build evidence for; the decision here is whether a personal account may touch a client matter at all.
  • Dental and medical practices. We didn't find a BAA statement in the pages listed below; ask Perplexity before any patient data goes in. See dental practices.
  • CPA and accounting firms. Your written information security plan has to describe the tools people actually use, not the ones you approved. See accounting firms.
  • Financial advisers. Client account data in a personal assistant is the exposure; see financial advisers.
  • Software teams. A coding assistant reads the repository and can run commands, so the question is what it can reach, not what it was asked. See what AI agents on work laptops can reach.

How to tell which version your staff use

The plan is the whole answer, and you cannot tell from the outside. Three ways to find out, in order of how much they prove.

  1. 1. Ask

    Quick, free, and incomplete. People forget the tool they installed once and the account they signed in with.

  2. 2. Look at the billing and the admin console

    This finds what the business pays for. It does not find a personal account, which is the one that matters here.

  3. 3. Look on the computers

    A tool somebody installed themselves never appears in an IT list. Obsidian Ridge’s free 30-day AI security assessment takes a quiet inventory for 30 days and shows what each tool could reach, then a CISSP goes through it with you. See the assessment, or read a sample set of findings.

Settings to check today

From Perplexity’s own documentation. Each one is a change somebody can make this afternoon.

  • If anyone has connected the email assistant, know what it reads. Perplexity says that content is excluded from training.“We do not use the content of emails to create, train, improve, or fine-tune AI models.” source, read
  • Treat anything typed in as submitted content, including uploads.“We process content you submit while using our services, including prompts, queries, uploads, and any other data you choose to provide.” source, read

Worth knowing

  • The consumer privacy notice does not cover the Enterprise and API offerings, which is why the business row cites the help centre instead.“This notice does not apply to data collected through Perplexity's Enterprise and API offerings where we act as a service provider or processor” source, read

Questions we get asked

Is Perplexity safe for client data?

Whether Perplexity is safe for client data turns on which plan your staff are on, which account they signed in with, and what you have told them they may put in it — not on the product itself.

On Free and Pro (personal account), Perplexity may use what staff type to train its models; on Enterprise Pro and the API, Perplexity says it does not train its models on what staff type, by default.

Every fact on this page is Perplexity's own, quoted from its own pages and dated, and where we did not find a statement this page says so rather than filling the gap.

Does Perplexity train its models on what our staff type into Perplexity?

On Free and Pro (personal account), Perplexity may use what staff type to train its models; on Enterprise Pro and the API, Perplexity says it does not train its models on what staff type, by default. On Free and Pro (personal account): Yes.

Improving and creating its AI models is one of the purposes Perplexity lists for the content people submit. Perplexity's own words: "Improve or create services and products, including our AI models." (read 2026-11-02).

On Enterprise Pro and the API: No. Perplexity says an organisation's data is never used to train or fine-tune its models.

Perplexity's own words: "Your organization's data is never used to train or fine-tune Perplexity's models." (read 2026-11-02).

How long does Perplexity keep what we put into Perplexity?

On Free and Pro (personal account): No period is published; Perplexity states a purpose test instead.

Perplexity's own words: "We keep your personal data for only as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes in this Notice" (read 2026-11-02).

On Enterprise Pro and the API: Attachments go after a week, and Perplexity says larger organisations can set their own session retention. Perplexity's own words: "Files attached to sessions are deleted after seven days." (read 2026-11-02).

Can an administrator read what our staff typed into Perplexity?

An admin sets each person's level of access from a Security Hub. Perplexity's own words: "Admins use the Security Hub to give every team member the appropriate level of access within Perplexity." (read 2026-11-02).

Will Perplexity sign a Business Associate Agreement for Perplexity?

We didn't find a BAA statement in the pages listed below; ask Perplexity before any patient data goes in.

How do we find out which version of Perplexity our staff are using?

Look on the computers. A tool somebody installed themselves, or signed into with a personal account, does not appear in any IT list. Obsidian Ridge's free 30-day AI security assessment takes that inventory for 30 days and shows what each tool could reach.

Sources

Perplexity’s own pages, with the date each was read. Nothing on this page comes from anywhere else.

All 15 tools, side by side, or run the AI tool risk checker over the ones you know about.

Other tools people ask about

Same question, different answers. The ones in the same category are the ones staff swap between.