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A Privacy Analysis of Web and Mobile Conversational AI Agents [pdf]

425 points · 141 comments · damaru2

  1. postalcoder · · focus · HN ↗
    My least favorite trend I’ve noticed with so many AI chat services is they seem to equate a UUID in the url with privacy.

    Perplexity does this. Visiting a past perplexity search url exposes your full conversation.

    1. msdz · · focus · HN ↗
      Genuinely asking: If you don’t share the UUID-based URL yourself, what makes it not privacy-friendly?

      It’s not like someone’s gonna guess that URL… right?

      1. postalcoder · · focus · HN ↗
        Yes, technically, guessing a url is impossible. But browser histories are stored in cleartext and trivially accessible to sketchy actors.

        I also accidentally paste random stuff into input boxes all the time.

        1. msdz · · focus · HN ↗
          Good points, thanks.

          Although I think at the point of some on-device program reading your browser history against your will, you’re gonna have bigger problems.

          1. kjs3 · · focus · HN ↗
            You already have bigger problems then. Most people have given any number of plugins, etc., access to peek at browser history, clipboards, etc and didn't realize it. Run an ad blocker? VPN? Check out the permissions those sorts of things have on your device.
            1. lukan · · focus · HN ↗
              I want to get rid of whatsapp. Well, since years, but now the need increased.

              On android it is possible to give permissions "once" "while using the app" "always".

              But whatsapp now only accepts the full camera access. If you set "ask every time" to indeed only make a picture once and then no camera access anymore, it refuses and sends you to the permission dialoge.

              1. kjs3 · · focus · HN ↗
                So they aren't even pretending to not say "screw you and your privacy". Glad I don't have need, increasing or otherwise, to use Whatsapp.
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