ChatGPT now searches your texts—privacy experts alarmed

The launch of the Messages plugin reflects a broader trend where AI services are seeking access to more sensitive data. Lookout's research of over 420 million apps shows AI-related apps have expanded their permissions and capabilities over the past year. Richardson noted a steady trend of AI services asking for more data access. This integration uses existing macOS capabilities, not a new Apple API, and OpenAI says it runs locally by default, but the privacy debate centers on the consent gap: one person's opt-in can expose others' messages to AI. Walsh argues this breaks the fundamental protections of end-to-end encryption, even if the encryption itself is not compromised. The concern is not about breaking Apple's encryption but about what happens after messages are decrypted on a Mac, where another system can read them. This could create a 'side door' for authorities, as Walsh describes, if conversation data is stored in the cloud, though OpenAI limits this by not uploading entire histories and keeping content local by default. The plugin is part of a broader expansion of AI access, and the tension between utility and privacy is likely to persist as AI agents gain more access to people's digital lives.