OpenAI’s Deleted Chats Policy Change Leaves Some Users Impacted
▼ Summary
– OpenAI will stop saving most ChatGPT users’ deleted and temporary chats after a court order requiring indefinite preservation ends.
– The preservation order resulted from a lawsuit by The New York Times and other news organizations alleging users bypassed paywalls using ChatGPT.
– OpenAI fought the order to protect user privacy but lost, allowing news plaintiffs to access output logs starting in July.
– A US magistrate judge approved a joint motion to terminate the preservation order, though some user chats will still be monitored.
– Under the agreement, OpenAI can cease preserving all output log data that would normally be deleted as of September 26.
OpenAI will cease preserving the vast majority of deleted and temporary ChatGPT conversations, marking a significant shift following a contentious legal dispute. A court had previously mandated the artificial intelligence company to retain these user logs indefinitely, a requirement that has now been largely lifted. This development comes after a lawsuit filed by The New York Times and other media entities, who argued that individuals were likely using ChatGPT to bypass paywalls, often prompting them to set chats as temporary or delete them entirely.
The AI firm vigorously contested the preservation order, asserting its commitment to user privacy and defending its operational protocols. However, its legal challenge was unsuccessful. By July, the news organizations involved in the case began examining the preserved logs, which contained only the outputs generated by ChatGPT. Attempts by several ChatGPT users to become involved in the proceedings were repeatedly rejected, as the court determined they were not formal parties to the litigation.
In a ruling issued on Thursday, US Magistrate Judge Ona Wang granted a joint request from the news plaintiffs and OpenAI to end the preservation mandate. It is important to note that the new arrangement does not mean a complete end to all monitoring; a subset of users’ deleted and temporary chat data will continue to be subject to observation.
According to the terms of the approved agreement, OpenAI received authorization to halt its controversial data retention practice. The company was permitted to stop saving “all output log data that would otherwise be deleted,” with this change officially taking effect on September 26.
(Source: Ars Technica)
