Custom models: provide specific disclosure of data shared with third-party services

[DrOleson]

🏷️ Discussion Type

Product Feedback

💬 Feature/Topic Area

Copilot Enterprise

Body

Summary

The current consent wording for enabling custom models in GitHub Copilot is too general for us to complete a meaningful privacy, security, and compliance review.

The wording indicates that "data" may be shared with third-party services, but it does not explain with sufficient specificity what data is shared, with whom, for what purpose, or under which processing conditions.

Problem

We need to understand the actual data flow before enabling a feature that may transmit source code, prompts, repository context, metadata, or other information to external services.

The current disclosure does not clearly specify:

• The categories of data transmitted.
• The third parties that may receive the data.
• The purpose of the processing.
• Whether the data is retained and for how long.
• Whether the data may be used for model training or service improvement.
• Whether human review may occur.
• Where the data is processed.
• Which contractual terms and subprocessors apply.
• How processing differs between model providers and custom-model configurations.

A general authorization to share data with unspecified third-party services is difficult to assess and prevents us from approving the feature.

Requested improvement

Please provide a clear, provider-specific description of the data processing that occurs when custom models are enabled.

This could be included directly in the consent dialog or in clearly linked and versioned documentation. For each provider or configuration, the documentation should identify:

• The data categories transmitted.
• The receiving legal entity and relevant subprocessors.
• The processing purposes.
• Retention periods.
• Model-training and service-improvement policies.
• Human-access conditions.
• Processing locations.
• Applicable contractual and privacy terms.
• Available administrative controls.

Scope

This is not limited to a particular IDE or Copilot interface. It concerns the disclosure presented when custom models are enabled and any Copilot experience that may send data to a third-party model provider.

Desired outcome

The goal is not to prevent necessary data processing. The goal is to provide enough transparency for us to understand, assess, and approve it.

More specific consent wording, supported by a provider-level data-flow or processing matrix, would make the feature significantly easier to adopt in enterprise environments.

[github-actions[bot]]

💬 Your Product Feedback Has Been Submitted 🎉

Thank you for taking the time to share your insights with us! Your feedback is invaluable as we build a better GitHub experience for all our users.

Here's what you can expect moving forward ⏩

• Your input will be carefully reviewed and cataloged by members of our product teams. 
  • Due to the high volume of submissions, we may not always be able to provide individual responses.
  • Rest assured, your feedback will help chart our course for product improvements.
• Other users may engage with your post, sharing their own perspectives or experiences. 
• GitHub staff may reach out for further clarification or insight. 
  • We may 'Answer' your discussion if there is a current solution, workaround, or roadmap/changelog post related to the feedback.

Where to look to see what's shipping 👀

• Read the Changelog for real-time updates on the latest GitHub features, enhancements, and calls for feedback.
• Explore our Product Roadmap, which details upcoming major releases and initiatives.

What you can do in the meantime 💻

• Upvote and comment on other user feedback Discussions that resonate with you.
• Add more information at any point! Useful details include: use cases, relevant labels, desired outcomes, and any accompanying screenshots.

As a member of the GitHub community, your participation is essential. While we can't promise that every suggestion will be implemented, we want to emphasize that your feedback is instrumental in guiding our decisions and priorities.

Thank you once again for your contribution to making GitHub even better! We're grateful for your ongoing support and collaboration in shaping the future of our platform. ⭐