Washington, October 21 (QNA) - OpenAI has introduced a new privacy feature in ChatGPT that allows users to lock individual conversations behind a four-digit PIN or supported device authentication, keeping sensitive exchanges out of their regular chat history and search results.

The feature, called "Locked Chats," moves selected conversations to a dedicated section under Projects, where they can be accessed using an account PIN or supported authentication methods such as Face ID, Touch ID and device unlock. To lock a conversation, users select "Lock chat" from the chat's options menu.

The feature provides an additional layer of privacy but does not create a separate encrypted vault or alter OpenAI's data-retention or model-improvement settings. OpenAI also warns that resetting a forgotten PIN permanently deletes locked conversations, associated files and information stored exclusively within them. The deleted content cannot be recovered by the company's support team.

Locked Chats is rolling out gradually across ChatGPT's Free, Go, Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise and Edu plans, on the web, iOS and Android apps, and the macOS and Windows desktop apps. (QNA)