Is NotebookLM safe with your data?

NotebookLM

Google

65/100

Good disclosure · high confidence

NotebookLM earns a B (65/100) because it discloses most of its data practices.

Dealbreaker flag

D1.4: sublicense these rights to ... our contractors who've signed agreements with us ... This license lasts for as long as your content is protected by intellectual property rights.

#18

of 216 apps ranked

score · Productivity avg 54

+11

vs category average

Grade scaleA · 70–100B · 60–69C · 48–59D · 35–47F · 0–34

Google commits that Gemini Notebook content will not be used to directly train its foundational AI models unless the user submits feedback, and feedback content is then human-reviewed and kept for up to three years, while the Google Terms of Service still take a worldwide, sublicensable content licence lasting as long as the content is protected by intellectual property rights.

What NotebookLM's privacy policy and terms of service say about your data

No default training

Content in Gemini Notebook is not used to directly train Google's foundational AI models unless the user chooses to send thumbs up or thumbs down feedback.

Feedback kept three years

Content submitted with feedback is reviewed by trained human teams and retained for up to three years, disconnected from the Google Account.

Broad content licence

The Google Terms of Service take a worldwide, royalty-free, sublicensable licence over user content that lasts as long as the content is protected by intellectual property rights.

No named security certification

The policy names encryption in transit and 2-Step Verification but no security certification, audit, or privacy officer contact.

What the policy is silent or vague on

Not stated: your ownership of generated outputs
Not stated: shorter retention for AI conversation logs
Not stated: a data-minimisation commitment
Not stated: a mapping of processing purposes to legal bases

NotebookLM privacy rating

Training-data use2 of 4 disclosed

Keeps user inputs out of model training, or makes training opt-inDisclosed

Names a way to opt out of or into trainingPartial

Says whether training use differs by plan or tierDisclosed

Lets the user keep ownership of generated outputsSilent

Data-subject rights4 of 5 disclosed

Grants a right to access your dataDisclosed

Grants a right to delete your dataDisclosed

Offers data portability in a usable formatDisclosed

Grants a right to correct your dataPartial

Grants a way to object to or opt out of processingDisclosed

Retention and deletion0 of 4 disclosed

States a retention period for your dataPartial

States a deletion timeline after closure or requestPartial

Sets a shorter retention for AI conversation logsSilent

Commits to collecting only the data it needsSilent

Third-party sharing3 of 5 disclosed

Lists the categories of third parties it shares withDisclosed

References a sub-processor list or data processing agreementPartial

Does not sell or share data for advertising, or offers opt-outDisclosed

Names a safeguard for international data transfersPartial

States a standard for government and law-enforcement accessDisclosed

Transparency3 of 4 disclosed

Discloses that you are interacting with AIDisclosed

Marks AI-generated or synthetic outputNot applicable

Enumerates the categories of data it collectsDisclosed

Maps processing purposes to legal basesSilent

Is versioned and dated, with change noticeDisclosed

Sensitive data and children0 of 2 disclosed

Discloses automated decisions and a human-review pathNot applicable

Limits the use of special-category dataPartial

Governs biometric data specificallyNot applicable

States protections for children's dataPartial

Security and accountability0 of 3 disclosed

Describes its security safeguardsPartial

Commits to breach notificationPartial

Names a certification or a privacy contactSilent

DisclosedPartialSilentAdverseNot applicable

Details

Category: Productivity
Modalities: text
Processes biometrics: No
Policy last updated: 2026-05-26
Region scored: Global / US-default
Last assessed: 2026-10-13

Documents examined

Other productivity apps

Each grade reflects our analysis of what an app states in its public privacy policy and terms as of the assessment date. It measures the transparency of those documents, not the company's actual data practices, security, or compliance. Grades are our opinion, offered for general information. Full disclaimer.