OpenAI pulls shared ChatGPT chats from Google search - what changed overnight?

OpenAI has removed the option that let shared ChatGPT conversations be indexed by search engines after personal information began appearing in Google results earlier this week.

OpenAI disables ChatGPT search discoverability

In a statement posted Wednesday, OpenAI confirmed that the "Make public" checkbox - the control that opted a shared chat into search indexing - has been taken offline for every user. The rollback is expected to be fully deployed across web and mobile interfaces by Thursday morning.

Key details from the announcement

• OpenAI described search indexing for shared chats as a "short-lived experiment" meant to help people find useful conversations.
• A Fast Company investigation located more than 4,500 shared ChatGPT links in Google's index, some revealing names, résumés and confidential work notes.
• The company is working with Google and other search providers to remove cached copies of those links.
• Deleting a conversation from ChatGPT history does not invalidate an existing public link, so users must manually withdraw any previously shared URLs.

Background on ChatGPT sharing

Shareable links were introduced in May 2023, giving users a way to send read-only versions of their chats. The links were private by default but included an optional toggle that allowed search engines to crawl the page.

Privacy advocates have repeatedly warned that AI chat logs can expose sensitive data if shared or breached. Regulators in the European Union and Japan are already scrutinising large language model providers over data handling practices.

Source citations

• OpenAI X statement
• Fast Company report