AI Companies Really, Really Want to Buy Your Work Files and Emails
Data brokers are acquiring internal corporate documents, including work files and emails, and selling them to AI companies for use in training models. The practice is drawing pushback from employees and organizations whose communications may be included without their knowledge.
Why this matters: Most people assume their work emails and internal documents stay inside the company. They do not. Data brokers operate in the background, and your files can move from your employer's systems into AI training pipelines without you ever knowing. That means private conversations, business strategies, HR disputes, or sensitive client details could end up shaping a commercial product. Nobody asked you. Nobody told you. The accountability here sits with the companies selling the data, the companies buying it, and the employers who may have handed it over in the first place.
Who should care: General readers · AI governance · Policy · Privacy officers
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