this post was submitted on 16 Feb 2026
39 points (97.6% liked)

Privacy

3997 readers
375 users here now

Icon base by Lorc under CC BY 3.0 with modifications to add a gradient

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 

"ChatGPT is getting more social," reports PC Magazine, "with a new feature that allows you to sync your contacts to see if any of your friends are using the chatbot or any other OpenAI product..."

It's "completely optional," [OpenAI] says. However, even if you don't opt in, anyone with your number...

top 7 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] JubilantJaguar@lemmy.world 17 points 8 hours ago

The "sharing" of contacts lists is surely the original sin of privacy on the internet.

It's an absolutely outrageous proposition when you think about it. "Give us the names and numbers of everyone you know, whether they consent or not." By triangulating this particular data, the tech giants (and even some of the more successful app developers) know more about us than our governments do.

It's infuriating that this practice has been accepted as normal. It makes it almost impossible for individuals to choose privacy, i.e. without being grassed on by their oblivious friends. It should never have been allowed.

[–] TomMasz@piefed.social 6 points 8 hours ago

Not having any friends is suddenly a net positive? I'll take it!

[–] one_old_coder@piefed.social 4 points 9 hours ago

Creepy and illegal in some countries. But it doesn't surprise me coming from the inventor of the Orb and the Big Clunker.

[–] Auster@thebrainbin.org 1 points 7 hours ago

@Blaze@piefed.zip So Facebook all over again 💩

[–] riskable@programming.dev 0 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

Your friends could be sharing your public phone number! The one that's listed and accessible to the world via the Internet's version of the White Pages!

In the US, phone numbers aren't private unless you pay extra (no one does except celebrities who are wasting their money... Because even if they pay it gets sold to 3rd parties anyway!).

[–] JubilantJaguar@lemmy.world 6 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

That seems to be just another example of Americans trusting their corporate overlords over everyone and everything else, including their elected governments and to some extent their own freedom.

But sure, phone numbers were once widely considered public information (along with postal addresses, which were also in the white pages - innocent times!). In Europe at least, I believe that has not be the case for about 15 years. New phone number registrations are not publicly listed anywhere.

[–] fruitcantfly@programming.dev 2 points 7 hours ago* (last edited 7 hours ago)

As another European, I can say that it must depend on the country: Just last year, our politicians were discussing changing the telecom laws to require consent, before information is published on the (online) white pages. Though I've been able to opt out of sharing my information through every phone company I've used