Recently, some users have found that their ChatGPT conversation links have been indexed by Google and other search engines, a situation that has sparked widespread attention. Users filtering search results by looking only for links from "https://chatgpt.com/share" were able to find conversations with strangers.
The shared conversation contents vary. Some asked about home renovation, studying astrophysics, or even asked ChatGPT to help rewrite their resumes. However, some conversations also seemed quite bizarre. One user asked ChatGPT if it was possible to heat a metal fork in a microwave, and ChatGPT replied "No," then further developed into a humorous guide titled "How to Use a Microwave Without Summoning the Devil: A Beginner's Guide."
It should be noted that ChatGPT does not publicly share users' conversations by default. Only when users actively click the share button will these contents generate shareable links. OpenAI stated that users' names and custom descriptions will remain private after sharing. After creating a link, users can choose whether to allow others to find the link, but most users were unaware that search engines could index these links, which might lead to the leakage of personal information.
An OpenAI spokesperson explained this phenomenon, saying it was to test the convenience of users sharing useful conversations while maintaining users' control over their content. However, this experiment led to the risk of users accidentally sharing private conversations. Therefore, OpenAI decided to cancel this feature to prevent users from unintentionally leaking personal information.
Previously, Google and other search engines could not control which pages would be publicly available on the internet; content publishers were the only ones who controlled whether they were indexed. In response, OpenAI stated that this experiment was a temporary attempt that ultimately brought too many unexpected sharing risks, so they decided to end this feature.
Key Points:
📌 ChatGPT user conversation links have been indexed by search engines, causing privacy concerns.
📌 Only when users actively share conversations will the content be public; by default, conversations are private.
📌 OpenAI has canceled this experimental feature to prevent users from accidentally leaking personal information.