Thousands of ChatGPT Conversations Are Publicly Searchable on Google, Raising Privacy Concerns
Many people use ChatGPT to ask personal or sensitive questions. They might talk about mental health, addiction, family problems, or fears about technology. Usually, they share these conversations only with trusted people—like friends or coworkers—using the app’s “Share” feature. However, many users may not realize that Google can find these shared links.
A simple Google search using a special part of the URL (created when someone uses the Share button in ChatGPT) can uncover thousands of these chats. In fact, over 4,500 shared ChatGPT conversations have appeared in search results. While these pages don’t display users’ names, many include very personal information that can indirectly reveal someone’s identity.
For example, some people have talked about their mental health, such as anxiety or depression. Others have opened up about trauma, like abuse or addiction. In certain cases, users have even said that artificial intelligence systems might be watching them. Because of the sensitive nature of these topics, the fact that these chats are visible to anyone online is extremely concerning.
The confusion likely comes from how the “Share” feature works. When a person clicks “Share” on a conversation, the app creates a link that seems private—but it actually makes it public. If someone shares that link through WhatsApp or saves it, others—including search engines like Google can still access it.
It’s unclear how many users fully understand this risk. Many probably assume they’re only sharing the link with one person, unaware it can be indexed and made available to millions online.
Privacy experts are calling for greater transparency from AI companies and warning users to be cautious. Tools like ChatGPT should give clearer privacy warnings. This will help users avoid accidentally exposing their personal lives online..
This issue also questions how search engines treat shared content. Platforms like OpenAI may need to block such links from being indexed.
Also read: Massive Data Breach Uncovers 141 Million Bank Statements and Crypto Keys
