ChatGPT users shocked to learn their chats were in Google search results
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Diverging Reports Breakdown
ChatGPT users shocked to learn their chats were in Google search results
OpenAI removed a controversial ChatGPT feature that allowed users to share their private chats with Google. Thousands of chats were found in Google search results. The company removed the feature after mounting backlash. Some of the chats were highly personal, making it possible to identify the people who shared them. The AI company said the feature “introduced too many opportunities for folks to accidentally share things they didn’t intend to”
Fast Company exposed the privacy issue on Wednesday, reporting that thousands of ChatGPT conversations were found in Google search results and likely only represented a sample of chats “visible to millions.” While the indexing did not include identifying information about the ChatGPT users, some of their chats did share personal details—like highly specific descriptions of interpersonal relationships with friends and family members—perhaps making it possible to identify them, Fast Company found.
OpenAI’s chief information security officer, Dane Stuckey, explained on X that all users whose chats were exposed opted in to indexing their chats by clicking a box after choosing to share a chat.
Fast Company noted that users often share chats on WhatsApp or select the option to save a link to visit the chat later. But as Fast Company explained, users may have been misled into sharing chats due to how the text was formatted:
“When users clicked ‘Share,’ they were presented with an option to tick a box labeled ‘Make this chat discoverable.’ Beneath that, in smaller, lighter text, was a caveat explaining that the chat could then appear in search engine results.”
Credit: ChatGPT Share box via Dane Stuckey on X
At first, OpenAI defended the labeling as “sufficiently clear,” Fast Company reported Thursday. But Stuckey confirmed that “ultimately,” the AI company decided that the feature “introduced too many opportunities for folks to accidentally share things they didn’t intend to.” According to Fast Company, that included chats about their drug use, sex lives, mental health, and traumatic experiences.
Carissa Veliz, an AI ethicist at the University of Oxford, told Fast Company she was “shocked” that Google was logging “these extremely sensitive conversations.”
Thousands Of ChatGPT Conversations Leaked On Google Search: How To Check If You Were Affected
Thousands of private ChatGPT conversations were found publicly accessible through Google search. These included chats on personal topics like mental health, abuse, addiction, and career struggles with the AI chatbot. The chats weren’t visible by default, but they were searchable if shared throughChatGPT’s “Share” button. This incident has created a serious concern regarding online privacy and how quickly AI conversations go public without the knowledge of users.OpenAI responded to the privacy loophole and removed the discoverability option from the “ share” window. According to an OpenAI employee, the feature was a “short-lived experiment” that created too much risk of accidental sharing.
Conversations Were Indexed by Google
It was noticed when the users noticed that they could add `site:chatgpt.com/share` to a search on Google and get hundreds of shared conversations from ChatGPT. First reported by Fast Company, around 4,500 such links were indexed by Google. Although most chats were harmless or general in nature, some included very personal and sensitive content, such as discussions about sex life, mental health issues, addiction, and workplace problems.
READ MORE 7 Ways ChatGPT Can Make Your Daily Life Easier
These conversations couldn’t be made public unless users made them accessible by enabling this option. But most users would have unintentionally opted for this setting when they used ChatGPT’s share feature.
How Did This Happen?
ChatGPT has a “Share” button that generates a public link for any conversation. This link can then be shared over messaging platforms like WhatsApp and Instagram. However, ChatGPT has an option labelled “Make this chat discoverable” that allowed search engines like Google to index these personal chat links, making them appear in public search results.
Many users likely misunderstood this setting, enabling the option thinking it was necessary to share the chat with friends. Once shared, the links could be accessed by anyone – and even continued – with the help of the chatbot. The cached versions of the chats could still remain visible online for some time, even if the user later deleted the link after sharing it on messaging platforms.
OpenAI Responds
OpenAI responded to the privacy loophole and removed the discoverability option from the “Share” window. According to an OpenAI employee, the feature was a “short-lived experiment” that created too much risk of accidental sharing. OpenAI’s FAQ now clarifies that shared chats are not public unless users specifically select the discoverable option.
What Users Can Do
If you’ve ever shared ChatGPT conversations, you can view and remove them. Here’s how to do it:
Visit your ChatGPT settings Tap on the ‘Data Controls’ option Select ‘Manage’ next to ‘Shared Links’
This will display all the chats you have shared and allow you to remove any links that you don’t want available anymore.
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No Legal Privacy for AI Conversations
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has also stated that users should not expect legal confidentiality when chatting with AI. Since there is no formal policy or legal framework around AI conversations yet, content from ChatGPT chats could be used in court if requested.