Safety & policy

ChatGPT ads can target users by prompt or email

Advertisers can target ChatGPT users by the topics they ask about, or by uploaded lists of emails, phone numbers or Android advertising IDs. Reporter Joseph Cox ran tests for 404 Media, which bought two ads inside the chatbot. OpenAI says topic keywords only guide matching and aren't exact-match rules, and that it deletes uploaded files, usually within 24 hours. Lists above 25,000 entries can target people, while smaller lists can only exclude them, and 404 Media says turning off ads personalisation doesn't stop ads entirely.

Why it matters: If your team uses ChatGPT for work, the ads personalisation switch doesn't fully stop tracking, so keep sensitive client details out of chats.

Source: The Neuron