Delete Doesn't Mean Deleted. Just Ask OpenAI
11 hours ago
- #Data Retention
- #AI Privacy
- #Legal Compliance
- A federal judge ordered OpenAI to preserve chat logs even after users delete them, showing that deletion requests can be overridden by courts.
- ChatGPT trains on conversations by default unless users disable the setting, while Anthropic's Claude offers an opt-in with data retained for up to five years, highlighting inconsistent policies across companies.
- Users often disclose sensitive personal information to AI chatbots, such as health or mental health details, due to perceived privacy, but legal protections like therapist-client privilege do not apply to these conversations.
- Sam Altman acknowledged the lack of legal privilege for ChatGPT conversations, making them subject to subpoena as ordinary business records.
- The gap between user perception of privacy and the reality of data storage and legal vulnerability underscores the need for caution, such as adjusting training settings and avoiding sharing highly sensitive information.