OpenAI has reported that it is forced to retain deleted user conversations in ChatGPT indefinitely due to a court order in a lawsuit with The New York Times regarding copyright issues. Previously, the company deleted such data thirty days after a user’s request, but this practice has now been suspended at the court’s demand.
The changes affect users of the free, Pro, Plus, and Team versions of ChatGPT. Meanwhile, users of ChatGPT Enterprise, ChatGPT Edu, and companies with a zero data retention agreement will not be affected. According to OpenAI, only a small team dealing with legal and security matters will have access to the retained conversations, acting under audit supervision and using this data solely for legal purposes.
The reason for this decision is the court’s requirement to retain all original data, even if a user requests its deletion or if privacy laws demand it. This aims to preserve information that may be used as evidence in the case regarding the use of The New York Times articles for training the company’s AI models.
The OpenAI management stated that it is challenging this decision, emphasizing the importance of respecting user privacy. The company stressed that the retained data will not be publicly accessible and will not be used for purposes other than those defined by the court.
