OpenAI is now facing a challenging legal decision that forces it to keep deleted ChatGPT conversations indefinitely. A recent court ruling, emerging from a lawsuit brought by The New York Times over copyright concerns, requires that all log data be preserved—even long after a deletion request—contrary to the company’s standard policy of deleting data after 30 days.
Brad Lightcap, OpenAI’s COO, has described the ruling as an overreach that compromises user privacy. If you’ve ever worried about the security of your digital data, you’re not alone. While this decision affects users on ChatGPT’s free, Pro, Plus, and Team versions, those using ChatGPT Enterprise, Edu, or covered by a zero data retention agreement remain unaffected. OpenAI assures us that only a small, carefully vetted legal and security team can access this data, and solely for legal purposes.
The New York Times, which initiated the lawsuit in 2023, accuses OpenAI and Microsoft of improperly using its articles to train AI models. The paper argues that retaining user conversation logs might strengthen their claims. In a candid response, CEO Sam Altman criticised the court demand, maintaining that the move sets a concerning precedent while affirming the company’s commitment to user privacy. The newspaper has yet to offer a public comment on the matter.
