If you're among the 900 million people who reportedly use ChatGPT every week, you've probably outsourced everything from work tasks to relationship advice to a chatbot that may remember more about you than your therapist. But before you share another juicy detail about your friend's questionable life choices, you might want to check what OpenAI's servers have logged about you.
Privacy experts are sounding the alarm over the potential harms of oversharing with AI, arguing that nobody knows how your personal data - whether it's your grocery list or your medical history - might be weaponized down the line. Some fear a future where your chatbot confessions end up in a mass surveillance system or used in ways that will make you regret that time you asked it for breakup advice.
Here are five ways to wrestle back control from the all-knowing algorithm.
**Stop OpenAI from training on your data:** Go to Settings > Data controls > Improve the model for everyone, toggle the switches off, and click "Done." You can also submit a privacy request via OpenAI's privacy portal by selecting "I have a consumer ChatGPT account" and then "Do not train on my content." This only applies to future data, so your past indiscretions remain in the training pool.
**Delete your chat history:** Go to Settings > Data controls > Delete all chats, or delete individual conversations from the left-hand sidebar by clicking the three dots next to the chat name. Note that while the conversation vanishes instantly from your view, OpenAI may keep a copy for up to 30 days - unless it's needed for "security or legal obligations" or has been anonymized beyond recognition.
**Use temporary chats:** Click the "Temporary" button in the bottom-right of a new chat. These chats won't appear in your history, won't reference past conversations or memories, and won't be used for training. But don't get too cocky: OpenAI might still hold a copy for up to 30 days, because apparently even temporary means "eventually permanent."
**Manage ChatGPT's memories:** Go to Settings > Personalization and click "Manage" next to "Memory" to view or delete specific memories. You can also toggle off "Reference saved memories" and "Reference chat history." This may make your chatbot less personalized - no more reminding you that you're vegan or have a dog - but at least it won't remember that embarrassing thing you said last Tuesday.
**Delete your account:** It's the nuclear option. Go to Settings > Account and click "Delete" under "Delete account" (you must have logged in within the last 10 minutes, because OpenAI loves arbitrary deadlines). Alternatively, use the privacy portal to select "Delete my ChatGPT account." You'll need to type your email and the word "DELETE" to unlock the final button. Farewell, digital confidant.
If you're still unsure how much ChatGPT knows, just ask it. My editor, Aly Windsor, did exactly that and received a thorough list of personal details she'd shared. She then asked it to produce a scannable profile prompt - and fed it back to ChatGPT. You might be surprised by what it coughs up. Or horrified. Either way, knowledge is power.