AI Chatbot Conversations Lack Privacy, Can Be Used in Criminal Proceedings
Conversations held with AI chatbots, such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude, are not private and can be used as evidence in criminal court, according to Van Severen Law Office. AI companies save user conversations, including prompts and responses, and may retain specific information in dedicated memory files. While some platforms like Google's Gemini automatically delete most conversations after a set period (defaulting to 18 months), others like OpenAI's ChatGPT and Anthropic's Claude do not automatically delete them, retaining them until manually deleted by the user. Even when a user deletes a conversation, companies like OpenAI and Anthropic may retain it for up to 30 days, or longer if required for security or legal obligations. Law enforcement can access these conversations through user consent, search warrants for personal devices, or warrants served directly on AI companies. In a notable case, Ryan Schaefer's ChatGPT conversations were used after he consented to a phone search, leading to a guilty plea...
