ChatGPT Mac History: Privacy Risks with Unencrypted Data

ChatGPT's desktop application for Mac now includes a new Computer History feature. This tool creates a searchable timeline of a user's activity across apps and websites. It rolled out globally on August 13th for Pro, Business, and Enterprise subscribers, with access coming soon to the European Economic Area, the UK, and Switzerland. This feature is opt-in, meaning it only collects data if a user explicitly enables it. Computer History records interactions like clicks, typing, and app switches, but it does not capture screen, microphone, or system audio. It then organizes these events into a daily and hourly timeline. Each timeline item includes a title, activity summary, and options to manage or delete the data. OpenAI says this tool helps reduce manual context input for users. However, OpenAI notes that Computer History files can contain sensitive information and are not encrypted. This means other programs on the same Mac user account might access them. The bottom line: While designed for productivity, the unencrypted nature of these files raises privacy concerns for users.