How to Delete Your Personal Information from ChatGPT by OpenAI
Are you concerned about the personal information that ChatGPT may have about you? OpenAI has trained its large language models on data taken from the web, including personal information, and this has led to concerns from data regulators around the world. ChatGPT may even provide inaccurate information about you, or generate false statements that could damage your reputation. But don't worry, here's what you can do to protect your personal information.
Use the Personal Data Removal Request Form
If you live in Europe or Japan, you can use OpenAI's Personal Data Removal Request form to ask that information about you be removed from its systems. This form is primarily for requesting information be removed from answers ChatGPT provides to users, but you can also request that your personal information be deleted from its training data. You will need to provide evidence that its systems have mentioned you by giving relevant prompts that have resulted in you being mentioned, as well as any screenshots where you are mentioned. OpenAI will balance privacy and free expression when making decisions about people's deletion requests.
Send an Email to OpenAI's Data Protection Staff
If you prefer to email OpenAI directly, you can contact their data protection staff at [email protected] to request access, correction, restriction, deletion, or transfer of your personal information that may be included in its training data. Note that people who have already requested their data from OpenAI have not been impressed with its responses. Italy's data regulator also claimed that OpenAI says it's "technically impossible" to correct inaccuracies at the moment.
Turn Off Chat History & Training
If you want to prevent your personal information from being used as training data for future iterations of OpenAI's large language models, you can turn off Chat History & Training. When logged in to ChatGPT, click on your user profile in the bottom left-hand corner of the screen, click Settings, and then Data Controls. Here you can toggle off Chat History & Training. OpenAI says turning your chat history off means data you input into conversations "won't be used to train and improve our models." However, OpenAI will retain all conversations for 30 days "to monitor for abuse" and then they will be permanently deleted.
By following these steps, you can take control of your personal information and protect your privacy from ChatGPT and OpenAI. Don't hesitate to reach out to OpenAI's data protection staff if you have any concerns or questions.
