ChatGPT chat lock: more discretion at work, still open to OpenAI
In brief
According to OpenAI, ChatGPT users can lock selected conversations with a four-digit PIN or biometrics. The feature, announced in 20 October release notes, is rolling out to free and paid accounts and is available in Chrome. Locked chats sit under Projects; resetting a forgotten PIN permanently deletes them and related files.
What it changes for an SME
For your SME of 10 to 250 people, the lock lowers the chance that a borrowed phone exposes internal chats. According to OpenAI, it is not end-to-end encryption, so the company can still access the content, and data stored before locking is not erased. Resetting a forgotten PIN permanently wipes locked conversations and files protected by the old code; support cannot restore them. Existing share links stay active until you delete them separately.
What you can do
- Check whether the lock is available on your ChatGPT accounts and test it on a non-sensitive conversation.
- Review existing share links and remove any that should no longer be public, because locking a chat does not disable them.
- Tell staff that iPhone Face ID or Touch ID and Android device unlock can replace the PIN, and that OpenAI still has access to the content.
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