I'm trying to understand JetBrains' data collection practices in PyCharm regarding its AI service. There's a setting I found under Appearance & Behavior > System Settings > Data Sharing that mentions 'Allow detailed data collection by JetBrains AI.' It states that they can collect non-anonymous information about the usage of their AI, which may include full text inputs and responses, even source code snippets. This is concerning to me because it seems like they can access my code files for generating suggestions or completions. Even if I disable this setting, it sounds like essential data might still be sent. Can anyone clarify how this works? Is there really a way to keep my project's sensitive information completely private when using JetBrains AI?
3 Answers
That's just how LLMs operate! Here's a quick privacy checklist: disable the AI Assistant plugin, keep the data collection settings turned off, block any outgoing connections to public LLM servers, and set rules for sensitive projects. For companies, using something like JetBrains AI Enterprise or a local LLM could help mitigate risks. We went that route, and it really tightened up our security.
It's understandable to be concerned about this! The way AI works usually involves sending some form of data to process it. The setting you're looking at controls how much additional data—beyond just your code—is sent to JetBrains. If you're worried about privacy, you can use the local completion model. This way, your code never leaves your computer, and you can keep detailed data collection turned off. Just remember, using the remote LLM means your code will be sent somewhere.
I went through the settings and noticed there are options to turn off machine learning completions, which could minimize what gets shared. Keep the local ones enabled to feel secure.
If you're really anxious about data sharing, just disable the AI Assistant plugin altogether. I thought it worked locally at first too, but they keep tweaking things. Best to err on the side of caution if you're handling sensitive stuff.
Yeah, disabling the plugin is a smart move! My workplace relies on a different AI tool that's been vetted, so I completely turned off JetBrains features.
Exactly! And if you want to go a step further, you could also check settings like 'Inline Completion' which runs locally. Disabling any machine learning-related suggestions is also a good move if you're worried.