Private browsers stop data collection at the interface level. They block trackers, disable fingerprinting scripts, and often include built-in HTTPS protection. - [Brave](https://brave.com/): Blocks third-party cookies, ads, and fingerprinting - [LibreWolf](https://librewolf.net/): Firefox-based browser with no telemetry or auto-updates - [Tor Browser](https://www.torproject.org/): Uses the Tor network to anonymize your location and traffic

Even when you’re not interacting directly with AI, your communications may pass through connected services. Encrypted messaging apps ensure that private chats stay private. - [Signal](/blog/what-is-signal): End-to-end encryption with minimal metadata - [Session](https://getsession.org): Decentralized, anonymous messaging on the Oxen network - [SimpleX Chat](https://simplex.chat/): Uses no servers, IDs, or phone numbers — just encrypted peer-to-peer messaging

Is ChatGPT safe? Nym cybersecurity experts weigh in

How generative AI affects your online privacy, and the privacy stack that can protect it

Author: Benjamin Nemeroff

June 30, 20257 mins Read

As AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude become more widely used, privacy concerns are growing. These models process vast amounts of user input, but what happens to that data afterward? Are your prompts, questions, or even sensitive information protected and private at all?

This guide explains the privacy implications of ChatGPT and other generative AI tools, what risks exist, and how to protect your personal information with solutions like decentralized VPNs (or dVPNs), mixnets, and open-source tools.

How generative AI works (and what it records)

ChatGPT and other language models generate responses by processing large volumes of text data, often including real-time user queries. While AI companies claim to anonymize this data, there are still risks:

Prompts may be stored or reviewed by humans
Metadata like IP addresses, device types, and session times can be logged
Sensitive information might be retained temporarily

Even if the content of your message is encrypted in transit, what surrounds it — your metadata — is often exposed.

This can reveal patterns in how, when, and from where you use AI tools.

What privacy risks come with ChatGPT?

Using generative AI tools may introduce several risks:

Data retention: Even anonymized prompts may be stored for training or moderation
Lack of transparency: Users often don’t know what’s logged or retained
Surveillance exposure: IP addresses and usage behavior can be tied back to individuals
Third-party sharing: AI tools may share metadata or content for analytics or compliance
Your data may never be forgotten: Once your data is integrated into the generative AI system, it may never be able to be removed

Without proper safeguards, using tools like ChatGPT could potentially expose your identity, interests, and browsing behavior.

Can you use ChatGPT safely?

Yes, but doing so requires active steps. Here's how to reduce your exposure when using AI platforms:

Avoid sharing personal information in prompts
Use ChatGPT while connected to a dVPN like NymVPN
Run ChatGPT in private browsing mode
Clear cookies and local storage frequently

You can also consider using self-hosted or open-source AI tools that give you full control over your data.

Open vs. closed AI models

Closed models like ChatGPT are maintained by private companies and often offer limited transparency into data handling. Open-source alternatives give users more visibility and control, but may lack the polish of commercial models.

To dive deeper into why open systems matter, read Nym’s guide on what open source really means.

Tools to protect your privacy while using AI

Privacy isn’t just about the model: it’s about the environment around it. Use these tools to strengthen your privacy stack:

VPNs: Full network privacy

Your VPN is your first layer of defense when using AI tools. It masks your IP address, encrypts your data, and prevents third parties from tracking your activity. Nym is the only VPN that can’t log by design.

Uses mixnets to hide IP addresses, packet timing, and routing paths
Prevents metadata leaks that traditional VPNs can’t block
Ideal for both ChatGPT usage and Web3 applications

Private browsers

Private browsers stop data collection at the interface level. They block trackers, disable fingerprinting scripts, and often include built-in HTTPS protection.

Brave: Blocks third-party cookies, ads, and fingerprinting
LibreWolf: Firefox-based browser with no telemetry or auto-updates
Tor Browser: Uses the Tor network to anonymize your location and traffic

Encrypted messaging

Even when you’re not interacting directly with AI, your communications may pass through connected services. Encrypted messaging apps ensure that private chats stay private.

Signal: End-to-end encryption with minimal metadata
Session: Decentralized, anonymous messaging on the Oxen network
SimpleX Chat: Uses no servers, IDs, or phone numbers — just encrypted peer-to-peer messaging

Protecting privacy in Web3 AI use cases

As generative AI tools expand into Web3, paying attention to privacy becomes even more important. From blockchain analytics to NFT platforms and decentralized social media, AI is being used to personalize feeds, summarize community activity, and automate governance insights. However, these use cases often require off-chain computation or integration with external APIs, opening up new metadata exposure risks.

If you use AI tools for:

DAO participation or proposal writing
NFT metadata generation
Web3 community moderation or bots
Smart contract automation with natural language interfaces ...then each interaction may create a trail that can be used to de-anonymize you.

To avoid this, build a full-spectrum privacy stack that covers:

Network-level protection with Nym’s mixnet base layer
App-level defenses with encrypted search and private AI instances
Behavioral shielding using incognito modes and tracker blockers

A decentralized infrastructure like NymVPN ensures that both content and metadata remain private — even in AI-enhanced Web3 workflows.

Specific risks of generative AI

Certain industries face higher stakes when it comes to AI privacy:

In healthcare, for instance, prompts shared with AI could inadvertently include protected health information.
In finance, private investment strategies or client data could be exposed.
Even in education, students and teachers risk surveillance when using AI for assignments or communication.

Young People: Overexposed and underprepared

Younger users — especially teens and college students — frequently use generative AI tools without understanding the privacy tradeoffs. Whether it’s homework help, study aids, or social media integrations, these interactions generate metadata. This includes timestamps, device details, and behavioral patterns that can be profiled.

Younger demographics are also more likely to use browser-based or app-based AI tools without tracker blockers or private networks in place. Without intentional privacy setups, this age group can become a data goldmine for advertisers, data brokers, edtech firms, or surveillance partners.

Older adults: Unknowingly at risk

Older users often turn to generative AI for support with medical questions, daily tasks, or new tech. This is likely exposing private details like names, symptoms, or account info. Without knowing how data flows through AI systems, they may be vulnerable to phishing attacks, AI scams, or accidental data leaks. Because this group may not regularly update their devices or use privacy tools, they’re more exposed to fingerprinting, tracking, or exploit kits targeting generative AI prompts.

Whoever you are and your risk levels, NymVPN’s mixnet-based privacy layer provides the most advanced network protections for your data across industries and demographics. It ensures that not only your content, but your connection and behavioral patterns remain shielded from profiling and abuse.

Generative AI and privacy: FAQs

Is ChatGPT collecting my personal information?

ChatGPT may log metadata such as IP addresses and session activity. While content may be anonymized, there’s no guarantee it won’t be used for model training or moderation.

Can using a VPN make ChatGPT more private?

Yes. A VPN like Nym can mask your IP address and encrypt traffic metadata, making it harder to associate AI queries with your identity.

Are there privacy-focused AI alternatives to ChatGPT?

Yes. Projects like LocalAI, GPT4All, and private instances of LLaMA offer more transparency and user control. They don’t require constant cloud access.

Does ChatGPT share my information with third parties?

It may, especially for analytics or legal compliance. Always read the privacy policy—and assume that prompts may be visible to developers or moderators.