ChatGPT on macOS Can Now Track Every App and Keystroke in the Background
A new desktop feature turns the popular AI into an omnipresent digital watcher, quietly logging daily system chaos to remember what was actually done during the workday.
The desktop app for macOS rolled out a feature named "Computer History," turning ChatGPT into an observant assistant that tracks interactions across third-party software and browser tabs.
Instead of capturing literal screen recordings like its experimental predecessor Chronicle, the system taps into accessibility tools to register clicks, text input, keyboard shortcuts, and app switches without grabbing audio or video.
The logged events are temporarily held locally for up to 48 hours before OpenAI servers process them into textual summaries and long-term memory files.
Users get a dedicated timeline interface inside settings to view daily logs, prune specific 10-minute intervals, or ban sensitive applications from surveillance entirely.
The capability remains strictly disabled by default for Pro, Business, and Enterprise accounts, while users in the European Economic Area, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom are completely locked out due to strict regional privacy regulations.
Administrators must manually unlock workspace permission toggles, and any activity occurring inside incognito browser sessions is discarded outright.
Feeding an AI every single shortcut and click just to remember an unsaved document feels like trading private digital lives for basic convenience. The line between a helpful digital butler and an authorized keylogger has never been thinner.
Source: OpenAI
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