GitHub Copilot vs Perplexity: which is safer for work?
On the facts we could verify, GitHub Copilot carries lower data-exposure risk for default at-work use. Both should still be used on an approved tier for anything sensitive.
| Fact | GitHub Copilot Low risk · 17 GitHub (Microsoft) · Coding | Perplexity Low risk · 20 Perplexity AI, Inc. · Search |
|---|---|---|
| Trains on consumer-tier data | Opt-out | Opt-out |
| SOC 2 Type II | Yes | Yes |
| ISO 27001 | Yes | Unverified |
| GDPR DPA | Yes | Yes |
| HIPAA BAA | Unverified | Unverified |
| EU data residency | Unverified | Unverified |
| SSO / SAML | Yes | Yes |
| Data retention | Business/Enterprise: prompts and suggestions are not retained (transient); user engagement data kept ~24 months. Individual: prompts retained ~28 days for the code-completion service. | Consumer: data retained unless 'AI data retention' is disabled; Enterprise Pro offers configurable retention and a Zero Data Retention mode; Sonar API retains no request data. |
Full profiles: GitHub Copilot · Perplexity. Facts are sourced from each vendor's own policies; confirm the tier before relying on them.