In one sentence: Data retention is how long a company keeps information about you.
Why it matters: In the UK, the ICO says organizations must not keep personal data for longer than they need it. The law sets no fixed time, so each organization decides. Services differ. For example, OpenAI says ChatGPT may keep a temporary chat for up to 30 days for safety, while Google says Gemini keeps temporary chats for 72 hours.
One thing to do: In the privacy policy of one service you use, find the “retention” section and see how long it says your data is kept.
Related terms: training data, privacy settings, opt out
Checked: 25 Oct 2026. Rules and company policies change.
