How to request removal of your personal data from ChatGPT

What you need

You will need:

• An email address you can access, because the form asks for one.
• The country you live in.
• Examples of ChatGPT answers that mention you. These are the prompts you typed and any screenshots of the replies.
• A few minutes to read the form carefully before you start.

Some background helps too. Chatbots like ChatGPT predict likely words based on huge amounts of text, so they can sometimes give wrong answers about real people. OpenAI has said its models are trained on information from the web, data it licenses from others, and information people type into chats. Because a lot of web content is about people, personal details can end up in the training data. In Europe, data laws give people the right to see information held about them, to correct errors, and in some cases to ask for it to be erased.

The form is mainly aimed at people in Europe, although it is also available to people in Japan. It seems to be mainly about removing information from ChatGPT’s answers to users, rather than from the training data itself.

Step by step

1. Check that the form covers your country. The form is mainly for people in Europe and Japan. If you live elsewhere, it may not apply to you.
2. Find the Personal Data Removal Request form. OpenAI describes it in a blog post about how it develops its language models. Read the form from start to finish before you fill it in.
3. Enter your name. Use the name that appears in the answers you are concerned about.
4. Enter your email address. Use an address you check regularly and keep secure.
5. Choose your country. Select the country you are in.
6. Say who the request is for. Answer whether you are asking for yourself or for someone else. For example, a lawyer may make a request for a client.
7. Say whether you are a public person. The form asks if you are a public figure, such as a celebrity.
8. Collect the prompts that led to the mention. Gather the questions you typed that caused ChatGPT to mention you. The form asks for these as “relevant prompts”.
9. Collect screenshots of the mention. Take screenshots that clearly show the wrong or private information in the answer.
10. Provide the evidence. Add your prompts and screenshots where the form asks for them. OpenAI says it needs clear evidence that the model knows about you, based on those prompts.
11. Confirm the details. The form asks you to confirm the information is correct. Only do this if it is true, and understand that OpenAI may not be able to delete the data in every case.

Example (a beginner’s case): Maya is a student in Germany. She asks ChatGPT about her hobbies, and it gives her a job she has never had. Before she fills in the form, she keeps a simple log so her evidence is organised:

Date I saw it:
What I typed:
What ChatGPT said about me:
Screenshot file name:

Tips and common mistakes

• Do not guess at evidence. The form asks for real prompts and screenshots, so only include what you actually saw.
• Keep your evidence focused. Share the parts that show your name or personal details. Do not include other people’s private information in screenshots unless it is necessary.
• Expect that deletion may be limited. The form warns that OpenAI may not delete the data in every case. OpenAI says it will balance privacy against free expression when it decides.
• Do not assume the form covers training data. It seems to focus on answers ChatGPT gives. Read the form carefully to see what it can and cannot do.
• Record what you sent. Save a copy of your completed form and your screenshots in case you need to follow up.
• Check the details first. Mistakes in your name or email address could slow things down.

Use it responsibly

Always check what ChatGPT tells you. AI answers can be wrong, and some of the problems reported about it include invented jobs, hobbies and news stories. Do not treat a reply as a fact about yourself or anyone else without checking a reliable source.

Protect your privacy. Do not paste passwords, bank details, identity numbers or other private information into a chat. When you fill in the removal form, give only what it asks for. Keep your email account secure, use a strong password, and do not share your login details with anyone.

Follow the rules that apply to you. If you are using ChatGPT for school or work, check your organisation’s policy first. Some employers have banned staff from using generative AI tools because of concerns about stored data. Also follow OpenAI’s own terms of use when you use the service and when you send a request.