Open AI’s ChatGPT search is now available to everyone, for free, even without an account. It’s a major move that makes ChatGPT available to a wider audience — and it might persuade those who don’t want to create an account just yet to use the service.
There are many reasons for not wanting to set up a ChatGPT account and privacy is one of them. It should, in theory, limit the data that OpenAI can collect. But does this move actually make it safer — and how do you protect your privacy when using ChatGPT search?
What Is ChatGPT Search?
ChatGPT search is an extension of ChatGPT with the ability to pull up real time, up to date information from the web. This differs from ChatGPT which answers questions based on the data on which it’s been most recently trained, an article in Vice explains.
OpenAI describes the tool as follows: “Now, chat can get you to a better answer: Ask a question in a more natural, conversational way, and ChatGPT can choose to respond with information from the web. Go deeper with follow-up questions, and ChatGPT will consider the full context of your chat to get a better answer for you.”
In December, OpenAI made ChatGPT search available to all logged-in users in regions where ChatGPT is available. However, it has now opened up to everyone, regardless of whether you have an account. As of February 5, 2025 ChatGPT search is now available to everyone, with no signup required, according to OpenAI.
Unlike traditional search engines that primarily process your search queries, ChatGPT’s interaction model is “fundamentally different,” says Angus Allan, senior product manager at CreateFuture. “It maintains a conversation context, which means it’s not just processing individual searches, but building a comprehensive understanding of your dialogue and generating personalised content in real time.
“By allowing users to express their questions in natural language, ChatGPT search can be an incredibly powerful tool to access information,” he says.
What Are The Risks Of Using ChatGPT Search?
Using AI tools requires a lot of data, which can compromise your security and privacy, even if you are not signed in. OpenAI providing this service for free should indicate to savvy internet users that OpenAI is “extracting some kind of value whether you’re signed in or not,” says Dr Andrew Bolster, senior research and development manager, data science at Black Duck.
Adding to this, there is no verification of where, how, or what data is stored, processed, or used, says Josh Hickling, principal consultant at Pentest People. “Sensitive details entered into the system could be stored outside the U.S. and U.K., remain unencrypted at rest, and be linked to a user account. If storage were ever compromised, data could potentially be traced back to a client, making users a target by association. This increases the risk of further attacks or targeting.”
Another problem whether you are signed in or not is misinformation ethics. “This includes the concept of AI hallucination and how it might generate answers that are less accurate or almost a reflection of your own perspective rather than presenting the facts,” says Manon Dave, an AI futurist.
ChatGPT search has also been found to be vulnerable to manipulation by malicious third parties, using a method known as “prompt injection”, where text is hidden in a webpage and used by the tool instead of the normal site content, says Chelsea Hopkins, social media and PR manager at Fasthosts. “This is because rather than giving a list of results for a query as you would do on Google, ChatGPT search gives you answers much like the standard model of ChatGPT would, however this time pulling data in real time rather than from a pre-existing bank of information.”
How Do The Risks Of ChatGPT Search Compare To Google Search?
In Google Search, results are ranked based on Google’s search algorithm, which considers hundreds of factors, such as authority, SEO optimisation, and similar, says Adrian Sowa, senior consultant at Pentest People. He thinks one key advantage of Google Search is that it allows users to immediately identify the source of the information and assess its reliability. “In contrast, GPT search integrates web-crawled data with AI model weights, meaning the output can be influenced by how the model was trained and the sources it has access to.”
This can result in more tailored responses but may lack direct attribution to specific sources. “Neither approach is inherently better or worse, it depends on the actual user’s need,” says Sowa. For general searches where a definitive source isn’t crucial, GPT Search may provide more concise and context-aware answers, he concedes. “However, when the credibility and traceability of information are crucial, Google Search should remain the preferred choice.”
While Google primarily tracks your search patterns and browsing behavior, ChatGPT processes and potentially retains entire conversations, says Allan. “This means that if you inadvertently share sensitive information in the context of a conversation, it becomes part of that interaction history.”
Is ChatGPT Search Safer To Use If You Don’t Sign In?
Think ChatGPT search will be safe if you aren’t signed in? It might be a bit, but there are caveats, experts say.
While using ChatGPT search without signing in does provide a layer of anonymity, ironically, it stops you from being able to opt out of model training, says Allan. “According to OpenAI’s privacy policy, only users with an account can opt out of model training, meaning if you don’t sign in you have even less control over how your data is used.”
Avoid inputting sensitive data regardless, Sowa advises. “Unauthenticated options should be treated with the same caution as an authenticated account. Organisations the size of OpenAI could more than likely connect the dots from various fingerprints and over time, correlate prompts to individuals if they really wanted to.”
By not signing in to ChatGPT search, the tool won’t have a specific account to tie your prompts and details to, and so is therefore likely to be safer to use, says Hopkins. However, it still does store information such as device data, operating system information, and your IP address. “This could all be used to link your conversation history with ChatGPT to you — but it’s worth noting that this is all data that other search engines will be collecting as well.”
I asked ChatGPT owner OpenAI for a comment on this story and will update it if the firm responds.
Boosting Privacy And Security While Using ChatGPT Search
But you’ll be happy to hear, there are ways to boost privacy and security when using ChatGPT search. The best thing to do if you’re worried about privacy or security is what you may already do if you’re a conscientious browser user, says Dave. That is, use Incognito or Private browsing sessions to protect yourself from sharing context beyond the active session and a VPN if you’d like to anonymise your machine and your location.
And if you do decide to create an account and login, make sure you use a password manager such as the Passwords App on Apple devices, or LastPass, to create secure login details and activate any two factor authentication options available, says Dave.
To enhance your privacy while using ChatGPT search, be aware of its limitations, says Allan. “Don’t share personal identifiable information, for example, you don’t need to overshare or provide specific personal details to provide helpful responses. Second, if you’re using it for professional purposes, establish clear guidelines about what information can be shared. Don’t share trade secrets, and generalise your queries where possible.”
Is ChatGPT Search Safe?
So is ChatGPT search safe to use since you don’t have to sign in? The answer is, it’s complicated. Yet it is possible to protect yourself, if you are careful about the data you enter in to it and use security and privacy tools available to you.
