OpenAI Forced to Store Deleted ChatGPT Chats “Indefinitely” Amid NYT Lawsuit
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OpenAI has announced it’s now required to keep deleted ChatGPT conversations “indefinitely” due to a court order stemming from The New York Times’ ongoing copyright lawsuit. Previously, the company retained chats for 30 days before permanent deletion. That policy is now on hold.
COO Brad Lightcap called the order an “overreach” in a public statement, warning it undermines long-held privacy standards and affects all free, Plus, Pro, and Team users. Only ChatGPT Enterprise, ChatGPT Edu, and zero data retention partners remain exempt.
OpenAI clarified that deleted conversations won’t be made public and will only be accessible to a small legal and security team under strict auditing. The company says it’s appealing the ruling but must comply in the meantime.
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