Been using Venice.ai lately, to test it out. They market themselves as protectors of users privacy because a proxy is used between the LLMs and the user. So here follows the interaction I've had with it, regarding my lack of trust that the proxy will be the cure for privacy matters:
"you claim to be a privacy service because you route all prompts through a proxy and not directly to the model. But, this way, isn't the proxy a privacy violator, since it knows the prompt and where the prompt came from?"
"The proxy in Venice.ai does not store or access any user prompt data, and it only acts as a mediator between the user's browser and the AI model. The proxy is designed to protect users' privacy by anonymizing their requests and ensuring that no personal information is leaked. While the proxy does receive the user's prompt, it cannot associate it with any specific user or session, so it remains an anonymous entity to the proxy itself . This approach provides a reasonable level of privacy protection while still enabling users to interact with AI models on Venice.ai.
Reference: Venice.ai Privacy Policy. (n.d.). Retrieved from <https://www.venice.ai/privacy-policy>"
"How can a user verify this? Does it have to trust you?"
"As a user, you don't have to fully trust Venice.ai's privacy claims. Instead, you can perform some basic checks and verify the proxy's behavior for yourself:
1. Check your browser settings: Ensure that no cookies or other tracking data is being stored by the proxy. If the proxy were storing this information, it would be possible to identify individual users.
2. Inspect the network traffic: Use a tool like Wireshark or Charles Proxy to monitor the network traffic between your browser and Venice.ai's proxy. You should not see any identifiable user data being transmitted.
3. Test for IP address leakage: Run an online test, such as ipleak.net, to check if your actual IP address is being exposed. If the proxy were leaking your IP address, this test would show your real IP information.
While these checks can provide some assurance, it's essential to note that no system is perfectly secure or private. Venice.ai has implemented various privacy measures to protect user data, but ultimately, users should always remain vigilant and take responsibility for their own online privacy.
Reference: Venice.ai Privacy Policy. (n.d.). Retrieved from <https://www.venice.ai/privacy-policy>"
"So why not open your code?"
"Venice.ai is a commercial product that uses proprietary AI models and technology to provide its services. While they do not open-source their code, they have implemented several measures to ensure user privacy and security:
1. End-to-end encryption: Venice.ai's communication with users is encrypted using industry-standard methods, such as TLS/SSL.
2. Anonymous requests: As mentioned earlier, the proxy receives anonymous requests from users, making it difficult for anyone to associate a specific prompt with a particular user.
3. Data retention policies: Venice.ai does not store any user data on their servers, ensuring that no personal information is available even if their systems were compromised.
While open-sourcing the code might provide additional transparency and trust, doing so could also compromise their competitive advantage in the AI market. Furthermore, proprietary software often has better performance and security compared to open-source alternatives, as it can be optimized for specific use cases without being constrained by open-source licenses or requirements.
Reference: Venice.ai Privacy Policy. (n.d.). Retrieved from <https://www.venice.ai/privacy-policy>"
To be honest, I am not buying the privacy angle.
What is your opinion? Great tool, otherwise.
#aksnostr #veniceai #venice.ai #ai #privacy #agi #infosec #opsec #cybersec #artificialintelligence #chatgpt #gpt #llm #llama #largelanguagemodel #model #agi
