OpenAI has disabled a feature that allowed shared ChatGPT conversations to be indexed by search engines like Google, following rising concerns over accidental exposure of personal information. The company confirmed it has removed the discoverability toggle from its chat-sharing feature after reports surfaced showing thousands of shared links – including those containing sensitive data – were appearing in Google search results.
Fast Company first reported the issue, noting over 4,500 indexed conversations, some revealing names, resumes, and emotional or confidential content. Initially introduced as an optional setting, the feature enabled users to make shared chats publicly searchable. However, OpenAI now considers it a “short-lived experiment” that presented unforeseen privacy risks.
OpenAI in a statement, “We just removed a feature from [ChatGPT] that allowed users to make their conversations discoverable by search engines, such as Google. This was a short-lived experiment to help people discover useful conversations. This feature required users to opt-in, first by picking a chat to share, then by clicking a checkbox for it to be shared with search engines (see below).
Ultimately we think this feature introduced too many opportunities for folks to accidentally share things they didn’t intend to, so we’re removing the option. We’re also working to remove indexed content from the relevant search engines. This change is rolling out to all users through tomorrow morning.
Security and privacy are paramount for us, and we’ll keep working to maximally reflect that in our products and features.”
OpenAI is currently working with Google to remove already indexed content and is reviewing how public sharing features are implemented going forward. The company also warns that deleting a chat from your history does not remove the shared public link.
Users can manage or revoke past shared links through the ChatGPT Shared Links dashboard.