ChatGPT Users Abused Web Browsing Feature So OpenAI Has Turned It Off

ChatGPT creator OpenAI has pulled the plug on its web-browsing feature “Browse with Bing.”

“We have learned that the ChatGPT Browse beta can occasionally display content in ways we don’t want,” OpenAI wrote in a post on Monday.

OpenAI pointed to instances where a ChatGPT Plus subscriber would ask the chatbot for the full text of a URL, and ChatGPT would respond with the complete text, bypassing paywalls and privacy settings.

Subscribers to ChatGPT Plus receive access to features not available to free users, including access to the more powerful GPT-4, Browse with Bing, and the GPT-4 Plugin Store.

“As of July 3, 2023, we’ve disabled the Browse with Bing beta feature out of an abundance of caution while we fix this in order to do right by content owners,” OpenAI said.

In February, Microsoft, which has invested over $13 billion in OpenAI, integrated ChatGPT into its Bing Browser. In March, OpenAI launched GPT-4, and the ability to browse was added to the chatbot in May.

Despite OpenAI disabling Browse with Bing, several GPT-4 plugins allow users to ask the chatbot to read URLs and PDFs and ask questions about the content of the link provided.

“It seems like OpenAI is working against the paid users of ChatGPT Plus,” a ChatGPT Plus user said on OpenAI’s forum. “This time they’re taking away Browsing, because it reads the content of a site that the user asks for? Please, that’s what I pay for Plus for.”

OpenAI did not give a timetable for when Browse with Bing would be turned back on but said they are working as quickly as possible to bring the feature back online.

“Very grateful to the ChatGPT Plus subscribers who have been helping us test the browsing feature,” OpenAI tweeted. “This is why we started with a beta—have received extremely valuable feedback, learned a lot, & will bring it back soon.”

OpenAI did not immediately respond to Decrypt’s request for comment.