What's changed: New GH-300 Chapter 6 (privacy settings & exclusions = content exclusion/editor settings, output ownership and limits [public-code match/licensing]; safeguards & troubleshooting = enabling duplication detection/security warnings, diagnosing suggestion/exclusion issues [exclusion/policy/seat/language], safeguards are not perfect)
6.2Safeguards and Troubleshooting
Understand enabling safeguards such as duplication detection (for suggestions matching public code) and security warnings (for vulnerable suggestions), and troubleshooting issues with suggestions and exclusions.
Against privacy, licensing, and security risks, Copilot provides safeguards. The key ones are duplication detection and security warnings. Enabling these and being able to troubleshoot issues like "no suggestions" or "exclusion not working" is tested in GH-300.
6.2.1Duplication detection and security warnings
Enabling duplication detection makes Copilot block or suppress suggestions matching public code, avoiding "verbatim" suggestions with licensing concerns (toggled in org/individual settings). Security warnings / vulnerability filtering detect and suppress dangerous patterns (weak crypto, injection-prone code). But these are aids, not perfect, so use them alongside dedicated security scanning (Chapters 1 and 5).
6.2.2Troubleshooting suggestions and exclusions
For "no/unexpected suggestions," diagnose in order: (1) whether it’s under content exclusion; (2) whether org policy disabled the feature (Chapter 2); (3) sign-in/license (seat) status; (4) target language/file type; (5) network/extension version. For "exclusion not working," review the scope of the exclusion (repo/org) and the pattern syntax. Note that most cases are explained by settings and policy state, not a "bug."
| Symptom | Check first |
|---|---|
| No suggestions | Content exclusion / org policy / sign-in & seat |
| Only certain files lack suggestions | Exclusion target / language & file type |
| Exclusion not working | Scope (repo/org) / pattern syntax |
| Worried about public-code similarity | Enable duplication detection |
Common: (1) Duplication detection = block/suppress suggestions matching public code (licensing). (2) Security warnings/vulnerability filtering = detect/suppress dangerous suggestions (an aid; pair with dedicated scanning). (3) For "no suggestions," check content exclusion / org policy / sign-in & seat / language & file type in order. (4) Most cases are explained by settings/policy state, not a bug.
Watch out: (1) Duplication detection and security warnings improve safety but are not perfect—they don’t remove the need for dedicated scanning and validation. (2) Don’t assume "no suggestions = broken" (often exclusion/policy/seat/language). (3) Even with duplication detection, responsibility for post-adoption license checks remains. (4) Absence of a security warning is not a guarantee of safety.
6.2.3Section summary
- Duplication detection = block/suppress suggestions matching public code (licensing)
- Security warnings/vulnerability filtering = detect/suppress dangerous suggestions (an aid; pair with dedicated scanning)
- For "no suggestions," check content exclusion/org policy/sign-in & seat/language in order
- Safeguards are not perfect—validation and dedicated scanning are still required
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Quick check
(just a quick review)Q1. You want to avoid "verbatim" suggestions matching public code to reduce licensing concerns. Which safeguard do you enable?
Q2. Suggestions appear except in one specific file. What cause should you check first?
Q3. What is the correct positioning of security warnings (vulnerability filtering)?
Q4. Suddenly no one on the team gets Copilot suggestions. What to check before individual settings?
Q5. What is the correct response to "we enabled duplication detection, so license checks are no longer needed"?
Q6. Content exclusion seems not to work. What is appropriate to check?
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