tech
ChatGPT can now search years of your texts—but the privacy risk isn’t just yours
ChatGPT no longer has to wait for people to copy and paste their texts into the chatbot. Now it can search for them itself.
TL;DR
- A new ChatGPT plugin for Mac allows direct access to Apple Messages, including iMessage, SMS, and RCS.
- Users can grant ChatGPT permissions to search old texts, summarize chats, draft, and send messages.
- Privacy and security experts warn the integration poses significant risks, comparing it to spyware, as it exposes conversations of users who did not consent.
- OpenAI claims the plugin runs locally by default, only accesses messages upon explicit user requests, and does not automatically upload message history.
- The plugin requires macOS permissions like AppleScript, Accessibility, and Full Disk Access.
- Concerns exist that granting access to readable messages on a user's device bypasses end-to-end encryption's intent.
- The trend shows AI services increasingly seeking access to more sensitive user data and device capabilities.
- Apple did not immediately respond to inquiries about this integration and potential safeguards.