London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Jun 01, 2025

Are privacy concerns sparked by ChatGPT's woes really that bad?

Are privacy concerns sparked by ChatGPT's woes really that bad?

As individuals, we need to take steps to protect our data and keep our personal information safe, Jose Blaya writes.

Since its launch, ChatGPT and the possibilities that AI brings have been hotly debated.

Whilst many wondered at this almost limitless tool that will magnify human intellect, concerns have been raised as to the largely unquantified risks that these intelligent learning platforms present.

Last month, Italy made a stand against ChatGPT, becoming the first Western nation to ban the platform “until ChatGPT respects privacy”.

So what are the privacy implications of these new tools, and how worried should we be about them?


Conversational AI's privacy black hole


Given the indiscriminate way in which ChatGPT gathers data, it can draw on a huge range of source material, including social media, blog posts, product reviews, chat forums and even email threads if publicly available.

This means that both personal information and data are being used without people’s knowledge or consent.

A man speaks with a booth representative next to a digital display (L) promoting ChatGPT, during the three-day 7th AI Expo, part of NexTech Week Tokyo 2023, May 2023


If you sign up to ChatGPT, you’re agreeing to a privacy policy that allows your IP address, browser type and settings all being stored, not to mention all data interactions you have with ChatGPT and your wider internet browsing activity.

All of this can be shared with unspecified third parties “without further notice to you”.


Personal information could be exposed by the wrong person asking the right question


By analysing your conversations with it alongside your other online activity, ChatGPT develops a profile of each user’s interests, beliefs, and concerns.

This is also true of today’s search engines, but as an “intelligent” learning platform, ChatGPT has the potential to engage with both the user and the information it is given in a completely new way, creating a dialogue that might fool you into thinking you are speaking with another human, not an AI system.

ChatGPT draws all these inputs together and analyses them on a scale not previously possible in order to “answer anything”.

ChatGPT’s proven tendency to get things wrong and even make things up could lead to damaging and untrue allegations.

Webpage of ChatGPT, a prototype AI chatbot, is seen on the website of OpenAI, on a smartphone.

If asked the right question, it can easily expose the personal information of both its users and of anyone who has either posted or been mentioned on the internet.

Without an individual’s consent, it could disclose political beliefs or sexual orientation, In turn, this could amount to releasing embarrassing or even career-ruining information.

ChatGPT’s proven tendency to get things wrong and even make things up could lead to damaging and untrue allegations.

Some people will nonetheless believe them and spread false statements further in the belief that the chatbot has uncovered previously withheld and secret information.


Could basic safeguards tackle these issues?


Given the power of these machine learning systems, it’s difficult to build even basic safeguards into their programming.

Their entire premise is that they can analyse huge amounts of data, searching all corners of what is publicly available online and drawing conclusions from it very quickly.

There is no way to detect when the chatbot is collecting data without someone’s knowledge or consent, and without sources, there is no opportunity to check the reliability of the information you are fed.

There is no way to detect when the chatbot is collecting data without someone’s knowledge or consent, and without sources, there is no opportunity to check the reliability of the information you are fed.

A person uses their phone at a bar in San Francisco, March 2019


We’ve seen the ease with which people have already managed to “jailbreak” current safeguards, giving little hope that any further rules built into the platforms won’t also be able to be circumnavigated.


Privacy laws are not keeping pace


Privacy laws have a lot of catching up to do in order to keep up with this new threat, the full extent of which we haven’t yet seen.

The way in which ChatGPT and others are using our data is already a clear violation of privacy, especially when it is sensitive and can be used to identify us.

Contextual integrity, a core principle of existing privacy laws, states that even when someone’s information or data is publicly available, it still shouldn't be revealed outside of its original context. This is another rule ignored by ChatGPT.

There are currently no procedures for individuals to check what personal information on them is being stored or request for it to be deleted as you would with other companies.

A person's phone shows HKmap.live apps as they join others at a rally to mark Taiwan's National Day in Hong Kong, October 2019


We have barely even touched on the data protection infringements inherent in the way AI chatbots learn.

There are currently no procedures for individuals to check what personal information on them is being stored or request for it to be deleted as you would with other companies.

Nor have we given consent for this data to be stored in the first place — just because it exists somewhere on the internet should not give ChatGPT the right to use it.


How can we protect our privacy in this new era of artificial intelligence?


Private Internet Access has been closely monitoring the privacy risks inherent in ChatGPT and other AI platforms.

With many competitors hotly chasing OpenAI’s lead, including Microsoft Bing, Google Bard and Chinese tech giant Baidu’s Ernie, and within a sector that is almost completely unregulated, the privacy and security implications are only growing.

As individuals, we need to take steps to protect our data and keep our personal information safe.

A man takes a picture during a conference at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, February 2023


Whilst embracing AI’s potential, we must be vigilant of the privacy threat it presents. The laws and regulations protecting our privacy need to adapt.

As individuals, we need to take steps to protect our data and keep our personal information safe.

This includes thinking about exactly what we are happy to share online while knowing how easily a machine-learning platform can now find, extract, and share this information with anyone.

Ultimately, we need to be wary of how much trust we put in this new technology, questioning rather than blindly accepting the answers we are presented with.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Hegseth Warns of Potential Chinese Military Action Against Taiwan
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Jamie Dimon Warns U.S. Bond Market Faces Pressure from Rising Debt
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Taylor Swift Gains Ownership of Her First Six Albums
Bangkok Ranked World's Top City for Remote Work in 2025
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
White House Press Secretary Criticizes Harvard Funding, Advocates for Vocational Training
France to Implement Nationwide Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces Frequented by Children
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
Russia's Fossil Fuel Revenues Approach €900 Billion Since Ukraine Invasion
U.S. Justice Department Reduces American Bar Association's Role in Judicial Nominations
U.S. Department of Energy Unveils 'Doudna' Supercomputer to Advance AI Research
U.S. SEC Dismisses Lawsuit Against Binance Amid Regulatory Shift
Alcohol Industry Faces Increased Scrutiny Amid Health Concerns
Italy Faces Population Decline Amid Youth Emigration
U.S. Goods Imports Plunge Nearly 20% Amid Tariff Disruptions
OpenAI Faces Competition from Cheaper AI Rivals
Foreign Tax Provision in U.S. Budget Bill Alarms Investors
Trump Accuses China of Violating Trade Agreement
Gerry Adams Wins Libel Case Against BBC
Russia Accuses Serbia of Supplying Arms to Ukraine
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
Chinese Woman Dies After Being Forced to Visit Bank Despite Critical Illness
President Trump Grants Full Pardons to Reality TV Stars Todd and Julie Chrisley
Texas Enacts App Store Accountability Act Mandating Age Verification
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Vatican Calls for Sustainable Tourism in 2025 Message
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Trump Threatens 25% Tariff on iPhones Amid Dispute with Apple CEO
Putin's Helicopter Reportedly Targeted by Ukrainian Drones
Liverpool Car Ramming Incident Leaves Multiple Injured
Australia Faces Immigration Debate Following Labor Party Victory
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
Macron Dismisses Viral Video of Wife's Gesture as Playful Banter
Cleveland Clinic Study Questions Effectiveness of Recent Flu Vaccine
Netanyahu Accuses Starmer of Siding with Hamas
Junior Doctors Threaten Strike Over 4% Pay Offer
×