ChatGPT tracks activity on other sites via ad collector

A report on Buchodi says ChatGPT may be collecting behaviour from third-party websites through an ad-collector mechanism connected to new ad-supported agent features. The story is rising quickly on Hacker News, with 244 points and 123 comments, which tells you the privacy concern is landing with technical users too.

The important point for business owners is not that every AI tool is watching everything your staff do. It’s that the line between an AI assistant, an agent, advertising, and web activity data can get blurry fast. If your team uses agentic tools for research, customer support, sales work, or internal operations, you need to know what data those tools collect, where it goes, how long it is retained, and whether it can be used for advertising or model improvement.

This is also a reminder not to treat a consumer AI product like an approved business system just because it’s familiar. Set clear rules for which tools can access company accounts, customer information, browser activity, and connected apps. Ask vendors direct questions, and get the answers in writing. If they can’t explain their data practices plainly, don’t assume the risk is small.

This is the kind of thing we build into an AI command centre, giving leaders visibility over the tools, permissions, data flows, and controls their teams rely on.