OpenAI’s ChatGPT Mac app was storing conversations in plain text

Until Friday, OpenAI’s precocious launched ChatGPT macOS app had a perchance worrying information issue: it wasn’t hard to find your chats stored connected your machine and work them successful plain text. That meant that if a atrocious histrion oregon malicious app had entree to your machine, they could easy work your conversations with ChatGPT and the information contained wrong them.

As demonstrated by Pedro José Pereira Vieito connected Threads, the easiness of entree meant it was imaginable to person different app entree those files and amusement you the substance of your conversations close aft they happened. Pereira Vieito shared the app helium made with me, and I utilized it to marque a video showing however the app tin work my ChatGPT conversations with the click of a button. I was besides capable to find the files connected my machine and spot the substance of conversations conscionable by changing the record name.

After The Verge contacted OpenAI astir the issue, the institution released an update that it says encrypts the chats. “We are alert of this contented and person shipped a caller mentation of the exertion which encrypts these conversations,” OpenAI spokesperson Taya Christianson says successful a connection to The Verge. “We’re committed to providing a adjuvant idiosyncratic acquisition portion maintaining our precocious information standards arsenic our exertion evolves.”

After downloading the update, Pereira Vieito’s app nary longer works for me, and I can’t spot my conversations successful plain text.

I asked Pereira Vieito however helium discovered the archetypal issue. “I was funny astir wherefore [OpenAI] opted retired of utilizing the app sandbox protections and ended up checking wherever they stored the app data,” helium said. OpenAI lone offers the ChatGPT macOS app done its ain website, meaning the app doesn’t person to travel Apple’s sandboxing requirements that use to bundle distributed via the Mac App Store.

Unless you’ve opted out, OpenAI whitethorn reappraisal ChatGPT conversations for safety and to bid its models. But that privilege isn’t 1 you’d expect to widen to chartless 3rd parties that get entree and cognize wherever to look.