Lawyer sues OpenAI over data transparency
Attorney Guy Ophir demands to see all personal information ChatGPT has stored and learned about him.
An Israeli lawyer specializing in technology and artificial intelligence law has filed a first-of-its-kind lawsuit against OpenAI, the operator of ChatGPT, claiming the company refuses to disclose what information it stores about him.
Attorney Guy Ophir says he wanted to know exactly what information ChatGPT keeps and how that information is used. He sent several letters to OpenAI requesting all the data the company holds on him, including information gathered through third-party searches. He claims the company responded only with a brief message explaining how to find his own search history in the chat.
“For about a year now, I’ve noticed that some clients come to me because ChatGPT recommended me. At first, it was flattering to know that artificial intelligence was recommending me as an expert in my field, but then I started thinking: just as it recommends certain things, maybe it doesn’t recommend other things, or worse, maybe it criticizes me, justified or not, due to AI hallucinations,” Ophir said.
“The Privacy Protection Act gives everyone the right to review information collected about them in databases. That’s why I contacted OpenAI and asked to see what the company collected, learned, and researched about me through ChatGPT.”
Ophir says OpenAI sent him only his own search history but did not reveal what it had collected and learned about him despite repeated requests. He filed the lawsuit this week in Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court, demanding access to the full information.
“This lawsuit is about exercising that right, not just for me, but to set a precedent for everyone,” he said. “I hope the court will enforce this right, and if necessary, we’ll take it all the way to the Supreme Court.”
In his claim, Ophir alleges that OpenAI stores information about people but does not provide it transparently to users. “The plaintiff contacted the defendant in early June 2025, requesting all information collected as part of ChatGPT’s operation. Although the Privacy Protection Law is clear, and despite repeated requests, the company withheld most of the information it collected about him, including data from third-party searches and machine learning processes used to improve the software. The company provided only his chat browsing history.”
The lawsuit states that ChatGPT collects large amounts of user data through everyday interactions, from simple questions to complex university assignments, and uses that information to train its model. “Since its launch, ChatGPT has gained millions of users worldwide. The company collects vast amounts of information from users, which it uses to train and improve the chatbot.”
Ophir asked the court to summon OpenAI and require it to provide him with all the data it has collected about him.
He notes that his first letter to OpenAI in June made clear that under Israeli law he is entitled to receive all personal data stored in the company’s databases, in digital form. Days later, the company replied by email, saying: “A request can be submitted for a full export of your account data, including conversations, through the ‘privacy portal.’”
However, Ophir argues that this response merely allowed him to see the chat prompts he himself had written, not what the company has learned about him. “This is very partial information because I believe the company holds much more data about me.”
Since OpenAI did not provide the information he wanted, he contacted them again to clarify that his request covered all data collected about him, not just his own searches, but also searches by others, machine learning insights, and any other stored information.
No response has yet been filed with the court.
