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- 📩 Silicourt Valley – Issue #6
📩 Silicourt Valley – Issue #6
Before you upload that memo, read this.
Silicourt Valley
June 17, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes
The AI Confidential: Your Client’s Data Might Already Be Training Someone Else’s AI. Here’s How to Stop It.
Let’s be real. “Data privacy” sounds like something your IT guy worries about. But now that AI tools are sitting at your desk, quietly chewing through client memos and draft briefs… it’s your problem too.
This issue covers what’s safe, what’s sketchy, and the questions to ask before your AI tool becomes a liability.
⏱️ 30-Second Win
Not sure if your AI tool is safe? Ask this, whether you're using it yourself, or your firm is footing the bill:
“Do you store, share, or train on my inputs?”
If the answer isn’t a clear no, hit pause. If it’s vague, your risk profile just shifted.
Too many lawyers are feeding privileged info into free tools without realizing the real business model is built on data, not subscriptions.
🧠 AI Insight: Your "Free" Tool Isn't Free. You're the Product.
Remember that Samsung engineer who accidentally leaked source code to ChatGPT? That's your future without the right questions.
Most AI tools are loss leaders. Your legal research becomes training data. Your client memos become training data. That settlement strategy you workshopped? Training data.
The 4 questions that separate pros from everyone else:
"Show me your DPA." No data processing agreement = no deal.
"Where is my data stored?" Could be servers in countries with different privacy laws.
"Can you guarantee zero retention?" Anything but "yes" is a no.
"What happens when I delete something?" Usually, nothing actually gets deleted.
Pro move: Ask for their SOC 2 Type II report. No report means they're not serious about security.
⏰ The 2-Minute Security Audit
Log into each AI tool you use. Find privacy settings. Check these toggles:
"Use my data for training" → OFF
"Store conversation history" → OFF
"Store conversation history" → OFF
Screenshot what you find. Most tools have sketchy defaults.
Bonus: Look for a "Delete All Data" button. Can't find one? Red flag.
🛠 Tool to Try: Harvey.ai Secure Mode
Harvey offers enterprise-grade paranoia for lawyers: on-premise hosting, audit trails, and actual privilege protection. Built by people who get what attorney-client privilege means.
Also worth checking: Paxton AI and CaseText CoCounsel.
Setup tip: Most enterprise tools offer 30-day pilots with full security features. Test with non-sensitive data first.
📌 This Week in Legal Tech
🔹 Disney vs. Midjourney: The House of Mouse is suing over AI training on Mickey. This could reshape how AI companies think about training data. Read more →
📝 Reddit vs. Anthropic: More training data lawsuits. Everyone's suing everyone now. Read more →
🧾 AI reducing burnout study: Finally, good news. Though "reducing burnout" might just mean 80 hours instead of 90. Read more →
✅ Prompt to Try
List 5 red flags I should watch for when evaluating legal AI vendors for data security.
Run this through your current AI tool, then compare the results to your actual tool stack. Educational.
🔍 Final Note
You don’t need to be a security expert—you just need to ask uncomfortable questions before uploading that first brief.
Use this issue to audit your tools, review vendor terms, and maybe even push your firm to get proactive.
Tried pushing for a secure AI policy in your office? Hit reply and let me know what happened (anonymously is fine).
— Silicourt Valley
P.S. Forward this to that partner who says ChatGPT is “basically Google.” They need this one more than you do.
Hit reply with your AI policy horror stories. Best ones go in next week's issue (anonymously).
🔐 (Don’t Forget) Coming Soon: Silicourt Pro
Silicourt Valley will always be free. But I’m building a paid version for professionals who want to:
Save time with a searchable legal prompt library
Get access to real-world workflows + templates
Go deeper on the tech without getting lost in it
No paywall yet. But when colleagues start asking why you're not using these tools, you'll want to be ready:
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