OpenAI removes feature that shared private chats to Google
Privacy concerns have risen sharply among ChatGPT users, as it was revealed that almost 4,500 shared chats ended up on Google search. OpenAI has now removed a feature that allowed individual conversations to be accessible to search engines.
This was reported by Liga.
OpenAI is removing chats that have already been indexed
The company explained that it was a short-lived experiment. However, due to the risk of accidentally disclosing private information, the option was removed.
OpenAI is also working on removing chats that have already been indexed. OpenAI's chief information security officer, Dane Stuckey, stated this in his post on X.
We just removed a feature from @ChatGPTapp that allowed users to make their conversations discoverable by search engines, such as Google. This was a short-lived experiment to help people discover useful conversations. This feature required users to opt-in, first by picking a chat… pic.twitter.com/mGI3lF05Ua
— DANΞ (@cryps1s) July 31, 2025
He wrote that the feature only worked if users selected the chat and checked the box labeled "Make this chat discoverable". Although the conversations were anonymous, with no names or personal data, some users could accidentally make them public without realizing they had checked the box allowing the chat to be displayed on Google.
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