Concerned About ChatGPT Privacy? Here’s How to Opt Out
Since its launch in November 2022, ChatGPT has been an impressive AI tool, but it has also raised some privacy concerns. One major concern is the use of user chat data by OpenAI to train its large language models (LLMs). However, there is good news for those who value their privacy—users can now opt out of having their chat data used, ensuring that their conversations remain private.
When you sign up for a ChatGPT account, whether it’s the free or premium version, your chat history is saved and your chat data is used for future training by default. This means that if you don’t change your privacy settings, you will be able to see your chat history on the main ChatGPT page and easily continue your conversations. However, this convenience comes at the cost of your privacy.
ChatGPT’s training data comes from various sources such as books, articles, and movies, but it also relies on preexisting conversations for continued training. While OpenAI assures users that it does not engage in any malicious activities with their chat data, the company acknowledges that conversations may be reviewed by [its] AI trainers to improve [its] systems. OpenAI has the discretion to feed these conversations to its large language model during the training process.
To address these privacy concerns, OpenAI now offers users the option to disable or enable chat history and training data collection, giving users more control over their data. However, opting out of this feature means losing access to your chat history. Not only does it prevent OpenAI from keeping a record of your chats, but it also makes it impossible for you to view previous conversations. It’s important to note that disabling this feature does not delete your ChatGPT history, but it does make it inaccessible until you re-enable the chat history and training feature.
To opt out of ChatGPT’s history and training feature, follow these simple steps:
1. Click on your profile name at the bottom-left of the main page and go to Settings & Beta.
2. In your settings, click on the Data controls option.
3. You will see the Chat history & training setting, which is active by default. Simply click the toggle to disable it. Once disabled, your chat history will no longer be accessible on the main page.
If you change your mind and want to enable the feature again, you can do so by clicking the Enable chat history option that appears over your history list. However, keep in mind that re-enabling this feature will also re-enable chat data collection for training, so consider your privacy preferences carefully.
While you have the option to disable chat history and training, there are certain types of data collection that you cannot opt out of. OpenAI retains all your conversations for 30 days and reviews them to ensure compliance with safety policies. This applies regardless of whether you have opted out of the chat history and training feature.
In addition to conversation data, OpenAI also retains your email address, name, and payment details if you are subscribed to ChatGPT Plus. To completely delete all your ChatGPT data, you would need to delete your ChatGPT account.
It’s crucial to be aware of the privacy implications when using ChatGPT and to make informed decisions about your data. By opting out of data collection for training, you can have peace of mind knowing that your conversations will remain private.
