ChatGPT lets anyone target ads via uploaded phone numbers, emails, and prompts
RexDouglass · x · 2026-10-16
404 Media's Joseph Cox tested ChatGPT's ad ecosystem and found OpenAI allows advertisers — or anyone, within 5 minutes — to upload raw phone numbers or emails to target specific users, and to target based on users' prompts, which many assume are private.
Key points:
- Targeting options include email addresses, phone numbers, and unique phone identifiers uploaded by advertisers
- Ads are also targeted on prompt content, which 404 Media previously showed may be reviewed by humans
- With 1 billion monthly users, most people don't know they're being targeted this way
- Ad industry veteran Zach Edwards says OpenAI is "boiling the frog" on privacy as it monetizes its audience
Related event: Test Shows ChatGPT Ads Can Target Users by Phone Number and Email(2 posts)→
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