Caution Advised: Experts Warn Against Sharing Info with Chatbots

• Caution: Avoid sharing personal info with AI chatbots.
• Risks: Stored dialogues may be reviewed, compromising privacy.
• Warning: Don’t upload documents to chatbots to prevent data leaks.

In an era where chatbots like OpenAI’s ChatGPT are designed to simplify our lives by providing human-like interactions, cyber-experts are urging caution against revealing personal information. Despite their apparent convenience in answering questions and performing tasks, the potential risks associated with sharing sensitive data with these artificial intelligence (AI) entities are raising concerns.

Kaspersky’s Stan Kaminsky emphasized the need for users to exercise extreme caution when interacting with chatbots, advising against disclosing any personal information, including names, passwords, passport or bank card numbers, addresses, telephone numbers, and other private data. Kaminsky suggests substituting such details with asterisks or “REDACTED” in conversations with AI.

One major concern highlighted by experts is the storage and potential exposure of dialogues conducted with chatbots. ChatGPT, for example, saves conversations for technical troubleshooting or preventing service violations. Additionally, human moderators may review these exchanges, raising questions about the confidentiality of user interactions.

The warnings extend to the uploading of documents to chatbots, even if some platforms offer this feature. Kaminsky strongly advises against this practice, as it poses significant risks, such as the inadvertent leakage of confidential data, intellectual property, or commercial secrets.

“Remember: anything you write to a chatbot can be used against you,” Kaminsky cautions, emphasizing the potential consequences of indiscriminate sharing with AI entities. The possibility of bugs causing conversations to leak or chatbots inadvertently sharing user information with others adds another layer of risk.

As users increasingly turn to chatbots for various tasks, the experts recommend keeping interactions as anonymous as possible. While acknowledging the convenience they bring, individuals are urged to prioritize their privacy and be mindful of the potential implications of sharing sensitive information with these AI-driven entities.

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