The recent boycott of "#QuitGPT" has spread rapidly online, sparked by a collaboration between OpenAI and the US military, which has raised concerns among some users that the AI application could be used for surveillance or military purposes. Even though many users have announced they are unsubscribing and deleting their accounts, "unsubscribing does not mean deleting your data." This article will provide a step-by-step guide to the complete unsubscribing process and important notes.
The QuitGPT movement erupts: AI-military collaboration triggers a wave of account deletions.
Last week, OpenAI announced a partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense to deploy its AI models on classified military networks. The news quickly sparked controversy on social media, with some users arguing that AI should be avoided for military or surveillance purposes. As a result, the ChatGPT app saw a surge in uninstalls and one-star reviews.
Amidst the public outcry, competitor Anthropic's Claude quickly rose to the top of the US App Store's free app charts, while the hashtag "#QuitGPT" was widely shared on social media. It's estimated that over 2.5 million people have publicly stated their intention to leave ChatGPT and shared instructions on how to delete their data .
The author cautions that even if you cancel ChatGPT Plus or delete the application, your past conversation data may still remain in OpenAI's system. To fully retain your data and reduce the risk of data retention, further settings and procedures are required.
ChatGPT Data Removal Complete Guide: Seven Steps to Take Your Data Away
According to OpenAI's product design, ChatGPT will use a portion of user conversations for model improvement and training by default. This means that "user prompts, reply corrections and interaction methods, workflows and writing habits" can all be incorporated into the AI model's training database.
Therefore, if users wish to retain their data and reduce the possibility of data misuse before leaving the service, they must first export the conversation, disable model training permissions, delete memories and chat history, and finally officially delete the account. The complete process is as follows.
Step 1: Export all conversation data
First, you need to download a complete backup of the chat history. ChatGPT provides a data export function, which can download a ZIP file containing all the conversation content, including "complete conversations and timestamps (conversations.json)" and "chat history that can be viewed directly (chat.html)".
Download links are usually sent to your email within minutes and expire after 24 hours.
Step 2: Turn off "Model Training" data usage
ChatGPT may use dialogue data to improve the model by default. To stop new data from being used for training, turn off the following settings.
After closing, new conversations will no longer enter the model training process, but previously used data will not be retroactively deleted.
Step 3: Check, back up, and delete ChatGPT's "memory".
ChatGPT has a memory function, recording the user's occupation, location, preferences, and writing style. It is recommended to manually back it up before deleting it.
After the backup is complete, you can choose to delete some memories or clear all of them on the same page. OpenAI states that deleted memories will still be retained for up to 30 days, but will no longer be used.
Step 4: Revoke external application permissions
Some users have connected ChatGPT to Gmail, Google Drive, Slack, Google Calendar, etc., which gives AI access to related data. You can revoke all authorizations at the following path.
Step 5: Cancel the subscription to avoid continuous charges.
If you subscribed through the Apple App Store or Google Play, deleting your OpenAI account will not automatically stop the charges; you will need to cancel the subscription in the respective app store. If you subscribed directly through the ChatGPT website, you can unsubscribe through the following steps.
Step 6: Submit a formal document deletion request
Users can also submit data deletion requests through OpenAI's privacy website privacy.openai.com , which will establish a formal record and require OpenAI to respond in accordance with privacy regulations.
Step 7: Delete the ChatGPT account
The final step is to delete the account. The system will ask you to enter your email address and type "DELETE" to confirm. The data deletion process takes up to 30 days.
New awareness in the AI era: Protect personal data and be wary of privacy leaks.
As AI tools increasingly become important assistants in work and creation, user concerns about data privacy and the scope of AI use continue to rise. The "QuitGPT" movement not only reflects some users' concerns about the military applications of AI, but also highlights the debate surrounding data transparency and usage permissions on AI platforms.
For most users, whether to leave ChatGPT and switch to other AI services remains a personal choice. But regardless of whether they continue to use AI tools, understanding how data is collected, stored, and deleted will become an important digital literacy skill in the AI era.
Unsubscribing to this article does not mean deleting your data! Seven steps to completely unsubscribe from ChatGPT . This article first appeared on ABMedia ABMedia .
