A federal lawsuit in California has put OpenAI under scrutiny over how ChatGPT may handle user data. The complaint argues that information entered into ChatGPT.com was collected through embedded tracking tools and then shared with Google and Meta without proper consent.
The case has drawn attention because the data at issue is not limited to basic website traffic. According to the filing, user queries, personal details, and email addresses may have been involved.
What the lawsuit says
The complaint was filed in federal court in California on Wednesday. It alleges that OpenAI built in code from Meta and Google on the ChatGPT website for analytics and advertising purposes.
Two tools are singled out in the filing: Meta Pixel and Google Analytics. These systems are commonly used by website operators to measure traffic and support ad targeting.
If the allegations are proven, the concern would go beyond standard web analytics. The lawsuit suggests that prompts entered into ChatGPT could have been used in ways that support targeted advertising online.
Why the case matters
The dispute is especially sensitive because many people use chatbots as if they were private digital spaces. Users often ask about health, legal issues, finances, and personal problems with the expectation that those conversations are not treated like ordinary ad-driven web activity.
The plaintiffs argue that users had a reasonable expectation of privacy when interacting with an AI chatbot. They also contend that privacy in ChatGPT affects a person’s broader control over personal data.
The complaint cites a Cyberhaven report estimating that about 1 percent of data pasted by employees into ChatGPT is confidential. That concern extends to everyday users who may enter private information while seeking help from the chatbot.
Legal claims and what is being sought
The proposed class includes U.S. residents who entered queries into ChatGPT.com. The plaintiffs say OpenAI violated the California Invasion of Privacy Act and the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, which is also referred to in the filing as CIPA.
In addition to damages, the lawsuit seeks to stop the alleged practice. That means the case is aimed not only at compensation, but also at changing how user data is said to be collected and shared.
OpenAI had not responded to the filing at the time of reporting. The allegations remain untested in court, and no judge has ruled that OpenAI committed the violations claimed in the complaint.
A wider pattern of concern
This is not the first time tracking tools in AI services have faced scrutiny. A similar complaint was previously filed against Perplexity AI over alleged use of Meta and Google trackers, though that case was later voluntarily dismissed.
Even so, the new lawsuit signals that analytics and advertising tools in AI products are facing sharper attention. The central issue is not only the technology itself, but the kind of information that may pass through it when the service is a conversational chatbot.
For users, the case highlights a growing gap between how companies may view data for analytics and how the public views conversations with AI. That tension could make the lawsuit an important test of privacy boundaries in the age of generative chatbots.
