November 7, 2025
Private chats in public search stats
Oddest ChatGPT leaks yet: Cringey chat logs found in Google Analytics tool
Commenters split: bug or Big Brother? Google shows full queries, OpenAI says a tiny glitch
TLDR: ChatGPT prompts showed up in Google Search Console; OpenAI calls it a brief routing glitch while researchers suspect full-prompt Google scraping. Commenters split between “bug” and “privacy fail,” with many pointing at Google’s query sharing and IT folks warning: don’t enable AI web search at work.
The Internet did a collective spit-take after extremely personal ChatGPT chats started showing up inside Google Search Console (GSC)—a dashboard site owners use to see what people typed before landing on their pages. Think breakup confessions and office politics, right there in search stats. Analytics pro Jason Packer and web sleuth Slobodan Manić say their tests point to OpenAI sending full user prompts to Google search to get answers, calling it possible proof of scraping. OpenAI told Ars it was “aware” and has “resolved” a routing glitch that hit a small number of queries, but stopped short of confirming the scraping claim. Cue comment-section fireworks.
One camp shrugs “bug, not conspiracy,” arguing ChatGPT sometimes pings Google and probably goofed by forwarding the whole message. Another camp yells, “The real scandal is Google!” after a top comment pointed out that GSC shows the entire search text to sites—meaning Google itself is piping people’s words around. The meme makers arrived fast: one legendary joke imagined ChatGPT outing a surprise proposal—“Based on the search results, Bob will propose”—turning romance into a spoiler alert. Meanwhile, IT folks clutched their badges, warning that turning on AI web search at work is a hard no. The vibe: awkward leaks, finger-pointing at both giants, and a community stuck between glitch and privacy gut-punch. Read the full sleuthing on Quantable and Ars’ coverage for the receipts.
Key Points
- •Since September, long ChatGPT-like user prompts have appeared as queries in Google Search Console performance reports.
- •Analytics consultant Jason Packer (Quantable) identified the issue and, with Slobodan Manić, tested routing that they say shows OpenAI sending prompts to Google Search.
- •OpenAI did not confirm the investigators’ theory but said it fixed a glitch affecting how a small number of search queries were routed.
- •Packer welcomed the quick fix but said OpenAI’s response leaves uncertainty over whether scraping occurred and if the issue is fully resolved.
- •Google declined to comment; examples of exposed prompts included personal relationship queries and office planning details.