OpenAI is now giving users of ChatGPT more control over their
data. The new feature allows users to deactivate the chat history, so that
conversations are not used to train ChatGPT.
At the end of March, Italy became the first country to announce
a ban on ChatGPT. The main reason cited was data protection concerns. There are
also concerns in Germany regarding the rapid advances of artificial
intelligence.
OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, is partially responding to
this and offering users a new option to gain more control over their data.
ChatGPT and data protection: these are the facts you should know
• Experts warn about ChatGPT: this is why you should use it with caution
ChatGPT: new option offers more data protection With a new
option, users can now simply prevent ChatGPT from using the entered information
to improve the language model. In other words, if desired, ChatGPT will no
longer learn from your messages.
At the same time, with the new setting, the chat history will no
longer be permanently saved. OpenAI will, however, store the history for 30
days and reserve the right to check messages for abuse.
The function is also not retroactive: your past chats will
continue to be used to train ChatGPT.
The new option can be found in the settings under "Data
Controls", somewhat hidden behind the "Show" button. If you
slide the slider to "Off", your future chats will no longer be used
to improve ChatGPT.
Although OpenAI stores the history for at least one month, users
are denied access to previous chats. The sidebar with previous chats is still
displayed but can no longer be clicked.
If you still want to access your previous chat history, you must
either keep the learning function enabled or export your chat via the settings.
The data protection concerns regarding ChatGPT are by no means
resolved, but the company seems to be paying more attention to the issue in the
future.
With "ChatGPT Business", OpenAI has announced a
special version of the language model for companies. This will no longer learn
from user data by default.
Whether with or without
a saved history: you should never disclose confidential information such as
phone numbers or passwords. Researchers have already managed to extract such
information from ChatGPT.