OpenAI updates US privacy policy to enable marketing cookies for free ChatGPT users
Paid subscribers remain unaffected by the new default setting, which allows OpenAI to track ad effectiveness without accessing conversation data.
OpenAI has revised its US privacy policy to enable marketing cookies by default for users of its free ChatGPT service. Under the updated terms, the company now shares limited identifiers, such as cookie IDs and device IDs, with select marketing partners. This arrangement allows OpenAI to promote its products and services on third-party websites and measure the effectiveness of those advertising efforts.
The primary objective of this policy update is to convert free users into paying subscribers. OpenAI confirmed that this change does not involve sharing actual conversation data or private user content with advertisers. A spokesperson for the company stated that while the policy regarding the privacy of conversations remains unchanged, the update clarifies how the firm works with partners to help people learn about OpenAI products on external platforms.
Testing conducted by WIRED revealed that marketing settings were enabled by default for two free accounts examined. In contrast, paid subscribers using the Plus and Enterprise tiers did not have this tracking enabled by default. Users retain the ability to opt out of this specific tracking mechanism via the Marketing Privacy settings located within the ChatGPT application.
The move aligns with a broader strategy to expand OpenAI's advertising network. The company began rolling out advertisements at the bottom of ChatGPT outputs for US users in February. Competitors, including Google, are also exploring methods to integrate advertisements into the user experience of generative AI tools. OpenAI is preparing for a potential initial public offering at the end of the year and is seeking ways to increase revenue through these channels.
In its privacy documentation, OpenAI categorises various user inputs, including prompts and payment information, as "Personal Data". While the policy does not explicitly define which types of data are considered "sensitive", the company states it does not use collected information to infer characteristics about consumers. The updated policy notes that OpenAI may share "limited information" with marketing partners to promote services like ChatGPT and Codex off-platform.
A notable incident occurred during the rollout of the policy when a sentence regarding "sensitive Personal Data" was briefly absent from the document before being reinstated in a different paragraph following media inquiry. OpenAI clarified that it does not "sell" personal data or share it for cross-contextual behavioural advertising under state privacy law definitions, despite the temporary omission of the clause.
