Welcome to the forefront of conversational AI as we explore the fascinating world of AI chatbots in our dedicated blog series. Discover the latest advancements, applications, and strategies that propel the evolution of chatbot technology. From enhancing customer interactions to streamlining business processes, these articles delve into the innovative ways artificial intelligence is shaping the landscape of automated conversational agents. Whether you’re a business owner, developer, or simply intrigued by the future of interactive technology, join us on this journey to unravel the transformative power and endless possibilities of AI chatbots.
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Clear skies. Low 28F. Winds light and variable.
Updated: February 13, 2026 @ 6:25 pm
Friends do not sell their friends’ data. So why is ChatGPT allowed to do it?
College is stressful. Students must navigate not only schoolwork, but life on their own, friendships, finances and more.Talking with ChatGPT may seem like a quick, easy and trustworthy source to vent to, but it’s not.
ChatGPT is an Artificial Intelligence (AI) chatbot by OpenAI. Users can discuss anything from the weather to their deepest, darkest secrets. This might seem harmless. After all, ChatGPT is designed to help users. It is free, easily accessible and provides an automatic response. But ChatGPT is not a person, and most certainly not a friend. It is a computer, and it only cares about the data it is given, not the person behind it.
When ChatGPT receives a prompt or question, it does not go into the void. It goes to OpenAI’s cloud servers. This data is encrypted, but anyone at OpenAI with clearance can access the data or allow others to.
OpenAI’s privacy policy states that it does not sell user data for advertising purposes, but reports, as recently as Jan. 28, 2026, indicate this is false.
“Industry analysts estimate that hundreds of millions of ChatGPT conversations have been collected by entities operating outside OpenAI’s direct control,” says Albert Archibald of Media by MLTD, a United Kingdom-based news site.
Archibald explains that this harvesting goes on both on the general internet and the dark web. While there are laws and safeguards meant to protect against illegal data harvesting, the relative novelty of AI technology makes enforcement difficult.
“When you create an account with us, we will collect information associated with your account, including your name, contact information, account credentials, date of birth, payment information, and transaction history (collectively, ‘Account Information’),” says OpenAI’s privacy policy.
It also reveals that it collects user data from any tools they use, and if they communicate with OpenAI outside of its platforms, such as email or social media. They also collect your location.
Under the “Disclosure of Personal Data” section of the privacy policy, OpenAI says it may provide data to vendors, service providers, government authorities, affiliates, other third-party users interacted with and in the event of a business transfer. What does this mean? The vendors and service providers work with OpenAI to keep it running, and if OpenAI is acquired by another company, they will still have access to the data. But what about the government?
OpenAI says it will work with government agencies to protect users, but what if the government agency is acting in bad faith? There is always the possibility that OpenAI will prioritize its safety over users’.
How clearly is this laid out? I am not tech-savvy at all, and it took me a good few times to grasp what the privacy policy says. Someone more knowledgeable may have an easier time understanding, but most people do not bother to read terms and conditions or privacy policies at all.
What OpenAI does make clear is that user data is used to train its own models.AI models are trained by people. People who can do anything they want with your data.
Forbes’ Zak Doffman reports that, according to Koi, an online security platform, multiple Google Chrome extensions harvested the data from AI chatbots, including ChatGPT. The extension operated via an ‘executor’ script that intercepted and collected the data. The only way to stop this is to uninstall the extension.
Archibald said there are four main buyers of chatbot data: marketing firms, competitive intelligence, data brokers and cyber criminals.The first three typically pay anywhere from £500 to £20,000 (approximately $684-$27,384). Cyber criminals will pay anything.
This may not seem like a big deal. Identity theft is a problem, but everyone on the internet harvests data. That is just how the internet functions at this point. But do you really want random strangers on the internet knowing your medical history? Your financial situation? The color of your truck? That your best friend killed themself when they were 13?
That is who ChatGPT users are talking to in reality. Not the void. Not an echo chamber. A real person, yes, but one who, like ChatGPT itself, does not care about the person providing the data.
Just what they are being provided.
ChatGPT is a tool. You are not. So use it to rewrite a sentence, solve a math problem or look up a recipe. But do not let it use you.
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