- OpenAI emailed users on April 30, 2026 that marketing cookies are now on by default for free ChatGPT accounts, with limited data shared with advertising partners.
- Data shared includes cookie IDs and email addresses, used to promote OpenAI‘s own products on third-party platforms such as Instagram. Chat content is not shared, per OpenAI spokesperson Taya Christianson.
- WIRED verified the setting was automatically enabled on two free accounts but not on paying accounts.
- Users can disable tracking via Settings > Data Controls > Marketing Privacy in the ChatGPT app, the “Your Privacy Choices” link on the website, or browser cookie controls.
What Happened
OpenAI turned on marketing cookies by default for free ChatGPT users, the company disclosed in an email dated April 30, 2026. The change shares limited data — cookie IDs and email addresses — with advertising partners to promote OpenAI’s own products on third-party platforms including Instagram. WIRED confirmed the setting was automatically switched on for two free accounts but was not enabled for paying users.
Why It Matters
OpenAI has signaled throughout 2026 that monetizing free users is a strategic priority. More than 90 percent of ChatGPT users stick with the free version, which translates into substantial inference cost without offsetting revenue. Earlier in the year OpenAI began running ads inside ChatGPT in some countries to nudge free users toward paid plans. Today’s change extends OpenAI’s monetization beyond in-product placements into cross-platform ad targeting — using ChatGPT-derived signals to retarget users elsewhere on the open web.
Technical Details
OpenAI’s email and the WIRED reporting describe the data shared as “limited” — specifically cookie IDs and email addresses. OpenAI spokesperson Taya Christianson stated chat content is not shared with advertising partners. The data flow appears to support audience-matching for OpenAI’s own retargeting campaigns rather than third-party advertisers buying inventory inside ChatGPT.
Opt-out paths: in the ChatGPT app, navigate to Settings > Data Controls > Marketing Privacy and disable the option. On the website, OpenAI provides a “Your Privacy Choices” link. Users can also block third-party cookies in their browser. Paying ChatGPT subscribers — Plus, Team, Enterprise tiers — were not opted in by default. Google is reportedly testing comparable ad mechanics inside its AI search integration; for now Google’s tests are confined to AIO results rather than its general AI tools.
Who’s Affected
Free ChatGPT users — the dominant share of OpenAI’s user base — are the directly affected group. EU and UK users may face additional GDPR/UK-DPA implications: GDPR Article 7 requires consent to be specific and freely given, and an opt-out default for marketing-purposes processing has been the subject of multiple enforcement actions against other technology companies. Privacy regulators in Italy, Germany, and France have a track record of opening investigations into OpenAI on shorter timelines than other AI vendors. Advertising partners — particularly platforms like Meta’s Instagram — gain new audience-matching capability tied to a heavily-used AI product.
What’s Next
Expect privacy-regulator inquiries in Europe, particularly given the opt-out-rather-than-opt-in framing for marketing cookies. Anthropic and Google’s Gemini face implicit competitive pressure: differentiating on privacy may become a sharper marketing axis if OpenAI continues to monetize free-tier user data more aggressively. OpenAI has not disclosed the projected revenue impact, but the move pairs naturally with its reported in-product ad rollouts and suggests a multi-channel monetization push targeting the free tier’s >90% share.
