Your rant in the chatgpt shows on google, here’s how to delete it
Important Warning for ChatGPT Users
Many chatgpt users may not realize that the conversations they have can be exposed to the public. Recently, thousands of chatgpt user conversations were found in Google Search results. This raises concerns regarding the privacy and security of user data.
This finding was first revealed by the Media Fast Company. According to the report, thousands of conversations that should have been private can actually be accessed by anyone. Although the username is not listed, the content of the leaked conversation is often sensitive, such as the topic of mental health, family relationships, or traumatic experiences.
Cause of data leakage
Allegedly, this leak is caused by an experimental feature called “Make This Chat Discoverable”. This feature allows conversations between users and AI ChatGPT to be indexed by search engines such as Google. However, this feature is inactive by default and must be enabled by the user through the “Settings/Settings” menu and then pressing the “Share” button.
It is important to note that a warning message regarding the risk of data leakage is written in small text, making it easy for users to miss. As a result, many users are not aware that their conversations are publicly accessible.
Openai action
In response to this problem, OpenAI finally decided to remove the “Make this Chat Discoverable” feature. This decision was submitted by OpenAI Chief Information Security Officer, Dane Stuckey, through his X account. He explained that this step was taken to reduce the risk of user data leakage.
Although this feature has been removed, based on the monitoring of several sources, the feature is still available in the web chatgpt version. Meanwhile, the mobile version of Android does not display this feature.
responsibility in the hands of OpenAI
Google claims that they do not interfere in determining which conversations are indexed by Google Search. According to a Google spokesman, the search engine only displays pages that have been published by third parties, in this case OpenAI. Therefore, the main responsibility for data leakage is in the hands of OpenAI.
how to make sure chat is indexed on google
To make sure your conversation is indexed in Google Search, users can copy the URL address of the chat that was shared and search for it on Google. If the link is still indexed, then the conversation can appear in the search results.
Steps to Delete Indexed Chat
ChatGPT users can take a few steps to delete a chat that may be indexed:
- Open the chatgpt application and login to your account.
- Click the “Settings” menu.
- Select “Data Controls > Shared Links”.
- Select the conversation you want to delete, then click the three dots on the right side and select “Delete Link/Delete Link”.
However, it is important to know that deleting chat from history does not automatically delete content that is already indexed in search engines.
Submit a content update request
If the indexed chat still appears in Google Search, users can submit a data update via the outdated content update page on Google Search. This process involves several steps, including selecting relevant options and sending content removal requests.
Conclusion
This event shows how important user awareness of data privacy and security is. OpenAI has promised to raise safety standards in its products so that similar incidents do not happen again. For users, it is important to always check the settings and understand the risks associated with certain features. With the right steps, users can be more secure in using AI services such as ChatGPT.
