Can I trust ChatGPT with my personal information?
You can use ChatGPT for many everyday tasks, but it is best not to treat a chat as a private vault. Share only what is needed for the task, and avoid entering information that could harm you or someone else if it were exposed, retained, or reviewed.
ChatGPT has privacy controls, but how your information is handled can depend on your account, settings, and the product you use. Before sharing sensitive material, review the current data controls and privacy terms for your account.
What information should you keep out of a chat?
Our team recommends leaving out passwords, authentication codes, payment card numbers, Social Security numbers, and other government identification numbers. Avoid sharing private medical records, financial account details, or confidential information about another person without their permission.
For work, do not paste customer records, internal documents, trade secrets, or unpublished business plans unless your organization has approved the tool and the way you plan to use it. If you need help drafting or analyzing something sensitive, replace names and identifying details with generic labels first.
How can you use ChatGPT more privately?
Start by checking your account’s data controls. Depending on the product and settings, you may be able to choose whether your content is used to improve models or use a temporary chat. These controls do not make it safe to share every secret, so continue to limit what you enter.
Review memory settings as well. If memory is enabled, ChatGPT may retain certain details for future conversations. You can review or delete saved memories through the available settings; deleting a chat may not remove a separately saved memory.
Also be careful with custom GPTs, connected apps, and shared links. A tool or action may send information to a third party, and anyone with access to a shared conversation link may be able to read its contents. Read the relevant permissions before connecting a service or sharing a chat.
What if you already shared something sensitive?
Delete the conversation and any related saved memory where available, and review the provider’s current deletion policies. If you exposed a password or financial credential, change it promptly and contact the relevant provider if necessary. For more practical guidance, see our ChatGPT privacy guide for personal and business use.
FAQ
Can you remove a saved memory from ChatGPT?
Yes. You can review and delete saved memories in ChatGPT’s memory settings when that feature is available. Deleting a conversation alone may not delete a memory saved from it.
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