London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Sep 03, 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
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Court of Appeal Allows Asylum Seekers to Remain at Essex Hotel Amid Local Tax Boycott Threats
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Nvidia Reveals: Two Mystery Customers Account for About 40% of Revenue
Woody Allen: "I Would Be Happy to Direct Trump Again in a Film"
Pickles are the latest craze among Generation Z in the United States.
Deadline Day Delivers Record £125m Isak Move and Donnarumma to City
Nestlé Removes CEO Laurent Freixe Following Undisclosed Relationship with Subordinate
Giuliani Seriously Injured in Accident – Trump to Award Him the Presidential Medal of Freedom
EU is getting aggressive: Four AfD Candidates Die Unexpectedly Ahead of North Rhine-Westphalia Local Elections
Lula and Putin Hold Strategic BRICS Discussions Ahead of Trump–Putin Summit
WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that looks a lot like Telegram.
Investigations Reveal Rise in ‘Sex-for-Rent’ Listings Across Canada Exploiting Vulnerable Tenants
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
Rural Exodus Fueling European Wildfires
China Hosts Major Security Meeting
Chinese Police Successfully Recover Family's Savings from Livestream Purchases
Germany Marks a Decade Since Migrant Wave with Divisions, Success Stories, and Political Shifts
Liverpool Defeat Arsenal 1–0 with Szoboszlai Free-Kick to Stay Top of Premier League
Prince Harry and King Charles to Meet in First Reunion After 20 Months
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
Ukrainian Nationalist Politician Andriy Parubiy Assassinated in Lviv
Corporate America Cuts Middle Management as Bosses Take On Triple the Workload
Parents Sue OpenAI After Teen’s Death, Alleging ChatGPT Encouraged Suicide
Amazon Faces Lawsuit Over 'Buy' Label on Digital Streaming Content
×