---
title: "OpenAI's Computer History logs your clicks and keystrokes for ChatGPT memory"
url: https://www.parallelquant.com/posts/openai-s-computer-history-logs-your-clicks-and-keystrokes-for-chatgpt-me-cf7cd7
source_name: "The Decoder"
source_url: https://the-decoder.com/openais-computer-history-turns-your-clicks-and-keystrokes-into-a-searchable-chatgpt-memory-timeline/
published: 2026-08-14T16:43:43.000Z
topics: ["products", "policy"]
publisher: "Parallel Quant"
---

# OpenAI's Computer History logs your clicks and keystrokes for ChatGPT memory

*2026-08-14 · Source: [The Decoder](https://the-decoder.com/openais-computer-history-turns-your-clicks-and-keystrokes-into-a-searchable-chatgpt-memory-timeline/)*

OpenAI's new Computer History feature records clicks, keystrokes, and app switches on Mac and turns them into a searchable timeline usable by ChatGPT and Codex. The data is stored locally as unencrypted Markdown files. OpenAI says the raw logs aren't used for training, but memories that feed into chats may still end up as training data.

**Why it matters:** Storing a full activity log as unencrypted local files is a notable trust tradeoff for a feature meant to make AI assistants more context-aware — it widens the attack surface for anything with local file access, well beyond typical chat-history risk. It's also a different bet than Anthropic's approach of watermarking Claude-processed text: OpenAI is leaning into deeper personal context capture rather than provenance tracking.

**Topics:** products, policy

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Read the original: https://the-decoder.com/openais-computer-history-turns-your-clicks-and-keystrokes-into-a-searchable-chatgpt-memory-timeline/
Canonical: https://www.parallelquant.com/posts/openai-s-computer-history-logs-your-clicks-and-keystrokes-for-chatgpt-me-cf7cd7
Published by Parallel Quant — https://www.parallelquant.com