When you hire a company to protect your digital information, you expect them to keep it safe. You trust them. But what happens when that same company uses your private information for its own projects? This situation is at the center of a discussion involving a major security company named Zscaler. They are using customer information to teach their artificial intelligence, and it has made many people uncomfortable.
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Understanding Zscaler’s Role
First, let’s understand what Zscaler does. Imagine your company’s computer network is a large building. Zscaler acts like a very modern security team for that building. Instead of having guards at every door, Zscaler provides security from the cloud. This means they check everything and everyone trying to access your company’s information online. Their goal is to stop cyberattacks and prevent important data from being lost or stolen. They are a significant provider in the cybersecurity world, trusted by many organizations to be their digital guardian.
The Core of the Issue
The heart of the matter is about data. Zscaler uses information from its customers to train its Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems. This is not a small amount of data. The company processes an incredible volume—reportedly 500 billion digital records every single day. These records, called “logs,” are like a diary of a computer’s internet activity. They can include details about which websites employees visit, what online tools they use, and other digital footprints.
Zscaler’s perspective is that this practice helps them build a better, smarter security system. By feeding this massive amount of real-world data to their AI, they believe they can more effectively spot new and hidden threats. The logic is that a bigger library of information helps the AI learn what normal online behavior looks like. This makes it easier to identify activity that is dangerous or suspicious. For them, it is a necessary step to improve the protection they offer to all their clients.
Why Security Experts are Concerned
While Zscaler may see this as improving its product, many security researchers see a major problem. They believe this practice introduces serious risks. The strong reaction from experts, like MalwareHunterTeam on social media, highlights a deep disagreement on how customer data should be handled.
Here are the main points of concern:
The Question of Privacy.
Security companies handle very sensitive information. Customers trust them with a view into their entire organization’s online activity. Using these logs for AI training, even if names and direct identifiers are removed, raises privacy flags. Web browsing history can be very personal. Sometimes, you can identify a person or a company just by piecing together their unique pattern of online activity. The fear is that data believed to be anonymous might not be anonymous enough.
A Massive Security Target.
By collecting and storing these logs, Zscaler creates a gigantic database of customer activity. This database itself becomes an extremely valuable target for hackers. If a breach were to occur at Zscaler, the consequences could be widespread. Attackers could gain insight into the inner workings and online habits of thousands of companies. It is a classic case of putting all your eggs in one basket. The very tool meant for protection could become a source of a massive data leak.
Issues with Consent and Transparency.
Did Zscaler’s customers fully understand that their data would be used this way? Service agreements are often long, complicated legal documents that few people read in full. It is possible that consent was given in the fine print. However, critics argue that a practice this significant should be communicated much more clearly. Customers should be able to make an informed choice about whether they are comfortable with their activity logs being used for AI training. When this is not clear, it can feel like a betrayal of trust.
What This Means For You
This situation is a valuable lesson for any person or business that uses cloud-based services, especially for security. It shows that we need to ask more questions about how our data is being handled.
If your company uses Zscaler, or any other cloud security provider, it is wise to be proactive. Reach out to them. Ask direct questions about their data handling policies. Specifically, ask if they use your activity logs or other data for AI training or any purpose other than the direct protection of your account. Review your service agreements or have your legal team look them over with this specific issue in mind.
When choosing a new security partner, make data usage a central part of your evaluation. A trustworthy provider should be able to give you a clear, simple answer about what they do with your data. Their transparency on this issue can tell you a lot about their approach to privacy and security.
This is about more than just one company. It is about a growing trend in the technology industry. AI needs data to learn, and companies are looking for large datasets to improve their services. As customers, we must remain aware and vigilant. Your data is valuable. It is your right to know how it is being protected and how it is being used.