ChatGPT adds locked conversations with a PIN or biometrics
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ChatGPT now lets users hide selected conversations from the history and protect them with a four-digit PIN or their phone’s biometrics. The feature is designed for privacy in face-to-face situations, preventing people nearby from immediately seeing the content of interactions, and is being rolled out gradually to practically all of the service’s plans and subscriptions.
OpenAI says locked chats do not have end-to-end encryption and that the feature does not change how the company accesses or uses information, including for AI training. The conversations may still be opened in legal or compliance situations. If a user forgets the PIN and needs to reset it, the protected interactions will be deleted; biometrics can avoid that process when available.
Why it matters · editorial interpretation
The feature may reduce accidental exposure of conversations in face-to-face situations, but it should not be confused with end-to-end encryption: OpenAI says it does not change the company’s access to or use of information, and recovering a forgotten PIN may delete protected chats.
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