ChatGPT's New macOS Feature Logs Your Keystrokes and Clicks as Training Data
The short answer
A new ChatGPT desktop feature called Computer History records how you work across apps and feeds that activity to the AI — raising immediate questions for any business handling sensitive client data on a Mac. If anyone on your team uses the ChatGPT desktop app on a Mac, Computer History may be capturing sensitive business activity — including client names, contract figures, or confidential information typed in other applications.
- ChatGPT
- Privacy
- Data Security
- macOS
- OpenAI
What happened
OpenAI has added a feature called Computer History to ChatGPT's macOS desktop app that captures clicks and keystrokes across applications, building a timeline of your activity that ChatGPT and Codex can reference when you make requests. The Verge reports the feature is designed to help ChatGPT suggest automations and pick up tasks you left unfinished.
The activity log is used as training data, meaning information gathered from your screen — including what you type in other applications — can be referenced by the AI. OpenAI has not published detailed guidance, as of this report, on which categories of data are collected, how long activity is retained, or whether the feature is opt-in or enabled by default.
What it means for your business
If anyone on your team uses the ChatGPT desktop app on a Mac, Computer History may be capturing sensitive business activity — including client names, contract figures, or confidential information typed in other applications. Check your app settings now to determine whether the feature is active and how to disable it. Any employee using ChatGPT on a work machine should be made aware that this logging exists. If your business operates under client confidentiality agreements, NDAs, or data protection rules such as HIPAA, verify whether this feature is compatible with those obligations before continuing to use the desktop app.
Source: The Verge