Case chatgpt-shared-chats-indexedModel & data leakUnited States
Thousands of shared ChatGPT conversations surface in Google search; OpenAI kills feature
A Make this chat discoverable toggle on shared links let search engines index conversations; Fast Company found thousands via site:chatgpt.com/share, some with personal details. OpenAI removed the feature.
MediumAttack on AIStatus: ResolvedVerified case file
Open in the interactive mapCite this case
- Reported
- Jul 31, 2025
- Location
- United States
- Target
- OpenAI ChatGPT users
- Severity
- Medium
- Triggered by
- OpenAI product decision; users opting in unintentionally
- Actor type
- Accidental / misconfiguration
- Reported loss
- None reported
- CVE
- None
What happened
A Make this chat discoverable toggle on shared links let search engines index conversations; Fast Company found thousands via site:chatgpt.com/share, some with personal details. OpenAI removed the feature.
Impact: Thousands of conversations with sensitive content were publicly searchable
Who triggered it
Actor: OpenAI product decision; users opting in unintentionally
Attribution: Confirmed by OpenAI CISO Dane Stuckey
Motive: None (feature design)
How it happened
Attack vector: Opt-in discoverability checkbox on share links plus search engine indexing
Root cause: Low-friction UI made accidental public sharing easy
Timeline
- Fast Company reports indexed conversations
- OpenAI removes the discoverable option and begins de-indexing
Response
OpenAI removed the feature and worked with search engines to remove indexed content
Current status: Resolved
Sources (open in a new tab)
- Fortune fortune.com
- Malwarebytes malwarebytes.com
- eWeek eweek.com
Cite this case
Thousands of shared ChatGPT conversations surface in Google search; OpenAI kills feature. AI Threat Watch, case chatgpt-shared-chats-indexed, Jul 31, 2025. https://aithreat.io/cases/chatgpt-shared-chats-indexed/
Permanent link: https://aithreat.io/cases/chatgpt-shared-chats-indexed/