# Slack Privacy and Permissions

- URL: https://betteranalyst.com/docs/slack/privacy-and-permissions
- Updated: 2026-11-12
- Author: Better Analyst

What Better Analyst reads in Slack, who can see Slack answers, which data Slack can use, and how admins stay in control.

## What Better Analyst Reads

Better Analyst only reads:

- Messages that mention @Better Analyst
- Direct messages sent to it
- Files attached to those messages

It never reads channel history or other conversations.

## Who Can See Answers

- **In a channel,** everyone in the channel sees the answer, charts, and files.
- **In Better Analyst,** chats started from Slack, including DMs, are saved in your team's workspace and are visible to your team members.
- **Public sharing is off** for chats that continue in Slack. They stay within your team.

A chat that continues in Slack shows a **Slack thread** or **Slack DM** badge, with a link back to the thread.

![The Slack thread badge with an Open link in the chat header](https://betteranalyst.com/docs/slack/privacy-and-permissions/chat-slack-badge-light.png)

## Which Data Slack Can Use

- **Channels:** only team data sources that an admin enabled for Slack.
- **DMs:** those team sources, plus your own personal data sources.
- **Never in Slack:** sources that show each person different rows, such as sources with [per-member rules](https://betteranalyst.com/docs/teams/per-member-data-access) or tables and columns limited by member, and Power BI connections. An answer posted in a channel is visible to everyone there, so it can't hold one person's rows.

Every question runs with the asking person's own Better Analyst access, and follow-ups in a thread can only come from the person who started it.

## Teams That Require SSO or Two-Factor

If your team [requires SSO or two-factor authentication](https://betteranalyst.com/docs/teams/sso-scim#sign-in-requirements), Better Analyst doesn't answer questions in Slack. Slack can't confirm how you signed in, so it replies:

> Your team requires signing in with SSO or two-factor authentication, which I can’t confirm from Slack. Ask this in Better Analyst instead.

## Private Projects

Items in a [private project](https://betteranalyst.com/docs/teams/private-projects) don't post to Slack channels, because Better Analyst can't check who is in a channel. Direct messages to people who can see the project still work. A chat that answers in a Slack channel can't be moved into a private project.

## Admin Controls

- Only a Better Analyst team owner or admin who is also a Slack workspace admin or owner can connect Slack.
- Admins choose which data sources Slack may use, and the defaults for new Slack chats.
- Admins can unlink anyone's Slack account or disconnect Slack for the whole team.

## Shared Channels

Better Analyst doesn't answer in channels shared with other organizations (Slack Connect) yet, so your data isn't posted outside your company. Ask in a DM or an internal channel instead.