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+---- Thread: Millions of Private ChatGPT Conversations Are Being Harvested and Sold for Profit (/showthread.php?tid=6316238)
Millions of Private ChatGPT Conversations Are Being Harvested and Sold for Profit - The Pact - Dec 21, 2025
A recent probe by the Tel Aviv security firm Koi has uncovered a sweeping data‑harvesting scheme hidden inside a seemingly harmless Chrome extension. Urban VPN Proxy — a free tool with six million users and even a “featured” badge from Google — has been quietly collecting far more than anyone expected.
Koi researcher Idan Dardikman explains that the extension isn’t just acting like a VPN. Beneath the surface, it contains “executor” scripts built to intercept and record conversations across major AI platforms, including ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, DeepSeek, and Grok.
The data collected encompasses anything a user might ask their chosen AI chatbot, per Dardikman, including “medical questions, financial details, proprietary code, personal dilemmas, all of it, sold for ‘marketing analytics purposes.'”
https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/ai-chatbot-data-scraping
RE: Millions of Private ChatGPT Conversations Are Being Harvested and Sold for Profit - RangoWorld - Dec 21, 2025
I have used this VPN in the past. Like when I needed to quickly connect for some purpose.
But can this extension access your chats in browser. Even if you are not connected to VPN?
RE: Millions of Private ChatGPT Conversations Are Being Harvested and Sold for Profit - MutatedArm0964 - Dec 21, 2025
(Dec 21, 2025 07:45 AM)RangoWorld Wrote: I have used this VPN in the past. Like when I needed to quickly connect for some purpose.
But can this extension access your chats in browser. Even if you are not connected to VPN?
Im sure they made it to where even when it's not on, it'll run silently in the background and take all the data it was designed to take. Don't ever use VPNs that are "free". Many are just out there to steal data. It's free but you're paying with your data.
RE: Millions of Private ChatGPT Conversations Are Being Harvested and Sold for Profit - RangoWorld - Dec 22, 2025
(Dec 21, 2025 11:47 PM)MutatedArm0964 Wrote: Im sure they made it to where even when it's not on, it'll run silently in the background and take all the data it was designed to take. Don't ever use VPNs that are "free". Many are just out there to steal data. It's free but you're paying with your data.
Yea I'm aware of that. This was some years ago. Nothing really is free.
RE: Millions of Private ChatGPT Conversations Are Being Harvested and Sold for Profit - Astaroth - Dec 22, 2025
A peculiar thing, that an Israel (Jewish?) based firm detected a threat that has six million users. Made me think of the Holocaust. 🤔
But yes, as has already been mentioned, a free VPN will make a product out of the customer. That many users generate massive bandwidth and costs. It's mindboggling really.
(I apologize if anybody was offended by my Holocaust remark, but it just came to mind).
It's Christmas. No hate. 🎄❤😄
RE: Millions of Private ChatGPT Conversations Are Being Harvested and Sold for Profit - The Pact - Dec 23, 2025
Copilot never harasses me for money ever so I guess they are making ready use of everything I say for some purpose? I don't really see why I should care? As long as they're just harvesting my data for market trends I don't really care about that?