What You Should Never Tell ChatGPT

ChatGPT is useful. But anything you type into it is stored by OpenAI and could, in theory, be reviewed. As Jennifer King, a privacy researcher at Stanford University, put it: "Once you type something in, you lose possession of it." Read the full Stanford HAI piece for more on this.

That is not a reason to avoid ChatGPT. It is a reason to be deliberate about what you put into it. This guide covers the seven things to keep out, what is perfectly fine to share, and what to do if you have already shared something you now wish you had not.

For a broader look at safety, read our complete ChatGPT safety guide.

The 7 Things to Keep Out of ChatGPT

If you have already typed something you are now unsure about, do not panic. We cover what to do further down.

1. Your full name combined with your home address
2. Bank and financial details
3. Your NHS number or National Insurance number
4. Passwords and login details
5. Photos of identity documents
6. Sensitive details about other people
7. Personal creative work you want to keep private

1. Your Full Name Combined With Your Home Address

Your name on its own is not much of a risk. Your address on its own is the same. Put them together and you have something useful to an identity fraudster.

If you need ChatGPT to help draft a letter that includes your address, try this: type the letter with a placeholder like "[your address here]" and fill it in yourself when you copy it to your document. We do this at WellWired whenever we use ChatGPT for correspondence. It takes an extra ten seconds and keeps your details out of the system entirely.

2. Bank and Financial Details

Card numbers, sort codes, account numbers, PINs. None of these should ever go into ChatGPT. There is no task that requires you to share them.

This extends to online banking passwords and PayPal credentials. ChatGPT cannot access your accounts and does not need these details to answer any question. If you find yourself about to type them in, stop and think about why.

If you are unsure about using AI for anything finance-related, read our guide on whether AI is safe for banking.

3. Your NHS Number or National Insurance Number

Your NHS number is the unique reference on your NHS card and in letters from your GP surgery. Your National Insurance number is the one you use for tax and benefits, in the format AB 12 34 56 C.

Both are exactly what identity fraudsters seek. Neither is something ChatGPT needs to help you with a general question. OpenAI's privacy policy is clear that conversations are stored, and no database is perfectly secure. The UK's data regulator, the ICO, also has guidance on your rights when using ChatGPT.

4. Passwords and Login Details

People sometimes type their passwords into ChatGPT when trying to get help with a login problem. ChatGPT cannot access your accounts, so sharing a password achieves nothing except putting it in a database somewhere.

Security question answers are equally sensitive: your mother's maiden name, the name of your first pet, the street you grew up on. These are used to verify identity on banking and email accounts, and they are as useful to a fraudster as a password. The National Cyber Security Centre has guidance on protecting your passwords.

5. Photos of Identity Documents

Some versions of ChatGPT accept images. If you have the image upload feature, do not use it to photograph your passport, driving licence, bank statements, or any medical letters with your details on them.

These documents contain a concentration of personal information. A passport photo combined with a date of birth and document number is more than enough for identity theft in many situations.

6. Sensitive Details About Other People

In 2023, Samsung engineers pasted sensitive internal source code into ChatGPT while trying to fix a programming problem. The incident was widely reported and led to a company-wide ban on the tool. The same principle applies in personal use: anything that belongs to someone else, and that they would not want shared with a third party, should stay out of the chat box.

For personal use, this means: avoid including a family member's full name and address, avoid sharing anyone else's medical situation in identifying detail, and do not paste private messages from others into ChatGPT. If scam calls are a concern, our guide to AI phone scams explains how these schemes work.

7. Personal Creative Work You Want to Keep Private

ChatGPT is useful for getting feedback on writing. But anything you paste in is stored. If you have written a memoir, a family history, poems, or anything that you consider private or might want to publish one day, think carefully before pasting it in.

Once something is in OpenAI's system, you cannot fully take it back. For general feedback on writing style or structure, ChatGPT works well. For writing that matters to you personally, be selective about what you share.

Things That Seem Sensitive But Are Fine to Share

Some people become so cautious after reading a list like this that they stop using ChatGPT at all. That is the wrong conclusion. The vast majority of things you might want to ask are perfectly fine.

These are all safe to share:

• Your general age range: "I am in my seventies" or "I am retired"
• Your interests: "I enjoy gardening" or "I like crime novels"
• A vague location: "I am in Yorkshire" or "I live in the south-west of England"
• General health questions: "What are the symptoms of a urinary tract infection?" is completely fine
• General context: "I am writing to my GP" or "I am planning a trip to Edinburgh"

The rule of thumb: share enough context to get a useful answer, without including anything that could identify you specifically or that someone else could misuse. Talking to ChatGPT is more like chatting in a coffee shop than making a private phone call. Keep it general and you will be fine.

For more on avoiding mistakes with AI tools, read our guide on common mistakes to avoid with AI.

What to Do If You Have Already Shared Something Private

First: do not worry unduly. Most of what people accidentally share is low-risk. If you mentioned your general location or your first name, there is nothing you need to do.

If you have shared something more sensitive, take these steps:

1. Delete the conversation. Go into your chat history (the left-hand sidebar on a computer, or the menu on a phone) and delete the relevant conversation. Our guide on how to delete your ChatGPT history has the full process.
2. Turn off data sharing. Go to Settings, then Data Controls, and switch off "Improve the model for everyone." This stops future conversations being used for training.
3. If you shared a password: change it immediately on the relevant account, and turn on two-factor authentication if you have not already done so.
4. If you shared bank or card details: call your bank using the number on the back of your card. They can advise whether to cancel and reissue.
5. If you think you have been defrauded: report it to Action Fraud, the UK's national fraud reporting centre.

For guidance on privacy settings including how to turn off training and use Temporary Chat, read our guide on ChatGPT and your privacy settings.

The One Setting Worth Changing Right Now

By default, your conversations with ChatGPT may be used to train future versions of the AI. You can switch this off in about 30 seconds. We have done this on our own ChatGPT account.

1. Log into ChatGPT.
2. Click your name or profile icon in the bottom left corner.
3. Click Settings.
4. Click Data controls.
5. Switch off the toggle labelled "Improve the model for everyone."

Once it is off, future conversations will not be used for training. It does not delete what you have already shared.

There is also a feature called Temporary Chat. When you start one, the conversation is not saved to your history. Look for the pencil or new-chat icon at the top of the page. It is a useful option for questions you would rather not store at all.

FAQ

For more on our guide to staying safe with AI, including tips on tools beyond ChatGPT, visit our safety hub. To use ChatGPT with confidence, our beginner's guide walks you through it step by step. If you want to learn AI properly, the WellWired Academy covers everything at your own pace.