This Setting Makes Me Mad

Thanks to a post on Ohana Slack I learned recently of a new setting that Salesforce quietly slipped into the back end and defaulted to ON.

Unless you have been ignoring the news recently, you probably won't be surprised that this new setting relates to AI. Specifically, the setting allows Salesforce to access "customer data" to train AI models.

If you're wondering what "customer data" entails, Salesforce never directly specifies. That, to me, means they define it as “the values in every field on every object, custom or standard, that you have in your org.” In other words, they are going to use all of your data to train AI models.

Ask yourself who owns or will own those models? [Hint: It's not you.]

Setup > Opt Out of Customer Data Access

You can find the setting at Setup > Opt Out of Customer Data Access. When you get there, you'll see that it is ON by default.

If you don't like this (And I don't!), Move the slider to turn it off. You even have to endure an "Are you sure?" screen.

Click again to confirm.

As soon as I learned of this I logged into each of my client orgs and turned it off.

The Clue

Maybe you're wondering why I have made such an unfavorable assumption about how Salesforce has defined "customer data"? Well, if you follow the help link to "Learn More" at the bottom of that setup page, it specifies in which situations this setting is defaulted to ON. It's not defaulted for Government Cloud instances nor if your organization "has decided to opt out, or has previously opted out, of sharing Customer Data with Salesforce."

More Nuance

I was pointed to this help article for a little more explanation of the setting. And I understand that, particularly for predicative AI, most organizations aren't going to have enough of their own data to train models. So I can understand the argument for there being a benefit to training global predictive models. I actually wrote in 2022 about trying to use Einstein prediction builder and the fact that few orgs have enough data to develop predictions on their own.

I will also note that this setting "doesn’t affect Salesforce’s zero-data retention (ZDR) policy with third-party Large Language Models (LLMs)." So [at least for now] this setting is only about training predictive AI and not about training generative AI.

If you read my follow-up article about Einstein Prediction Builder, you may remember that I didn't find it that useful, even using the "pre-built models" from Salesforce. And ask yourself if you've heard anyone else talking about Einstein Prediction Builder in the last several years? The freemium version of Prediction Builder also looks like it's gone away. So is there even any benefit to us if Salesforce works on these models? Or does the benefit mainly accrue to the company that will come around trying to sell them in the future?

A Violation of Trust

Regardless of how hard it might be to build good prediction models, that does not justify taking your organization's private data without affirmative consent and without compensation. Salesforce constantly touts Trust as their "#1 value." Dropping a new privacy-piercing setting into your system and defaulting it to ON feels like a major violation of that trust.

I also just don’t like the idea of handing over my nonprofit clients' data to train a model that is going to make billions that won't benefit nonprofits.

UPDATE later in the Day 4/29/2026:

Salesforce has apparently heard the outcry about this setting. They responded (on MVP Slack, but I confirmed that it's OK to share) with this statement:

We know questions have been coming up lately about how Salesforce handles your data, and we want to take a moment to address them clearly and honestly. Your trust matters to us, and we want to make sure you have the full picture.

No New Enrollment Has Occurred

Salesforce has not recently opted customers into any new data-sharing program. For applicable core services, the ability for Salesforce to access Customer Data has historically been permitted by default under your legal agreement — unless you use Government Cloud, have previously opted out, or have otherwise restricted access under your agreement.

What Actually Changed

We heard your feedback about wanting more visibility and control. Eligible customers can now view and update this preference directly in Setup under Opt Out of Customer Data Access — without needing to contact Salesforce Support. We believe you should always know what settings exist and have easy access to manage them.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is this setting used for?

This setting gives Salesforce permission to use your Customer Data (as defined in your Main Services Agreement) for three specific purposes: training global predictive AI models that power features you use, improving existing services and features, and researching and developing new ones.

Is Salesforce using my data to train generative AI or third-party LLMs?

No — and we want to be completely clear on this. This setting does not affect Salesforce's zero-data-retention policy with third-party LLMs. Salesforce has committed that any generative AI model training would only occur on an opt-in basis, and no such program has been implemented.

Why is this allowed by default for some customers?

Default access supports the services and features you rely on every day. We understand that "default on" can feel unsettling, and we want to be transparent: data from opted-in customers is always subject to Salesforce's full confidentiality and security commitments and is never directly shared with other customers.

Can I opt out?

Absolutely — and we fully support your right to do so. You can turn off Customer Data sharing at any time in Setup via Opt Out of Customer Data Access. Once disabled, no new data is shared for these purposes. For service improvement uses, any previously collected data is deleted within 30 days and cannot be recovered.

Credit where credit is due: This seems like a fair and reasonable response and a fair and reasonable way to handle the issue. Salesforce is acting no worse than most of their peer companies. (I could wish they were acting better than their peer companies. But I'm realistic.) Bottom line, though: Now that I and my clients have a way to opt out, I'm gonna do it.