ChatGPT puts its privacy settings in one place

What happened

On 21 September 2026 OpenAI started rolling out a Privacy Center in ChatGPT for Business users (ChatGPT Business release notes). It gathers the settings for memory, temporary chats, connected apps, data use for model training, multi-factor login and data export or deletion in one page. OpenAI’s help article lists Free, Go, Plus, Pro and Business as eligible; Enterprise, Edu and Healthcare accounts are excluded (OpenAI Help).

Why it matters for your business

In many small firms, staff use ChatGPT on personal Free or Plus accounts. On those accounts the setting “Improve the model for everyone” decides whether chats can be used to train OpenAI’s models. Until now it was buried in the settings. The Privacy Center makes it easier to check in a few minutes.

Read the fine print. The Privacy Center explains settings; it doesn’t change them. Notebookcheck quotes OpenAI: “Opening the privacy center does not change your settings, delete your data, or override your organization’s policies” (Notebookcheck). It also points out three traps:

Deleting a chat doesn’t delete what ChatGPT saved to memory.
Switching off model training doesn’t delete your existing chat history.
Switching off personalised ads still leaves ads based on the current chat (Free and Go plans).

On Business workspaces, the admin’s rules still apply. The Privacy Center can’t override them.

The Swiss angle

Under the Swiss Data Protection Act (revFADP/nDSG, in force since September 2023), you are responsible for personal data your staff paste into AI tools. A personal account with training switched on is a weak spot. The Privacy Center doesn’t fix that, but it makes the check easy.

What to do

Ask everyone who uses ChatGPT for work to open the Privacy Center this week. On the web it’s under the account menu, Help, Privacy center; on iPhone and Android it’s in Settings (OpenAI Help). Have them check “Improve the model for everyone” and memory. Better still, move regular users to a Business workspace where you set the rules.

Sources

OpenAI, ChatGPT Business release notes, entry of 21 September 2026: https://help.openai.com/en/articles/11391654-chatgpt-business-release-notes
OpenAI Help, “Privacy Center in ChatGPT”: https://help.openai.com/en/articles/20001488-privacy-center-in-chatgpt
Notebookcheck, “ChatGPT’s new privacy center changes none of your settings”, 22 September 2026: https://www.notebookcheck.net/ChatGPT-s-new-privacy-center-changes-none-of-your-settings.1405449.0.html