ChatGPT knows an awful lot about its users. People ask it for health advice. People use it for therapy. People ask it to help solve problems at work. That gives it a lot of data to feast on. It feels like it was only a matter of time before there was some controversy related to that, and now a new lawsuit claims the data has been shared without users’ knowledge or consent, giving us all another reason to get a VPN.
This new class action lawsuit suggests that ChatGPT is sharing data with both Google and Meta specifically, who could, of course, use that data to fine-tune algorithmic recommendations and the ads that you’re served. The extent to which these companies can manipulate people by showing them adverts they’re more likely to engage with or content that is more likely to provoke a certain response is disturbing. Imagine someone who worries about having bad skin – first they get shown an influencer talking about how their fancy skincare routine gives them perfect skin, and then shown an advert for a certain moisturiser or face cream. This is already bad, but it could get much worse with ChatGPT’s input.
I previously wrote about how data taken by AI chatbots could eventually leak through a data breach or end up being sold. At the time, I asked ChatGPT itself what data it accumulated on its users and was given the following list:
- Email address
- Username
- Subscription plan
- Messages you send and responses generated
- Features used
- Timestamps
- Device/browser type
- IP address (for security and fraud prevention)
- Files, images, or documents you choose to share
Depending on the extent to which somebody uses ChatGPT, it might be able to paint an extremely intimate portrait of them. The lawsuit is still ongoing, so it may be that this is a false alarm and that the data is safe – but even if so, I think it’ll only be a matter of time until something like this does happen.
While I do not use ChatGPT myself, I understand that it is a helpful tool for a lot of people in their personal and professional lives. If you want to keep using it, but are worried about your personal data, here’s what you should do. First, get yourself a VPN, something like NordVPN, Proton VPN, Surfshark, CyberGhost, or ExpressVPN (check our list of the best VPN services for our recommendations). Then only use ChatGPT when you have the VPN switched on (and don’t create an account). Not only will this limit the data that is taken from you, but it will also stop you from seeing super-targeted ads through Google.
Our overall top recommendation is NordVPN, but really, any well-respected brand is a safe bet. Just don’t go for obscure brands that don’t have any reviews from trusted publications, because there are a lot of dodgy VPNs out there that are actually just stealing your data.
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