Fact check
“OpenAI said it had removed most of these links.”
Reasoning
The provided evidence includes two excerpts from DW articles that report OpenAI's own statement that it had removed most of the user‑uploaded image links that were shared with third‑party sites. The claim matches this wording exactly.
On confidence: Multiple independent excerpts from the same reputable source (DW) directly quote OpenAI stating it had removed most of the links.
Important context
The statements refer specifically to user‑uploaded image links that were inadvertently posted to third‑party websites by OpenAI's tools. OpenAI also indicated ongoing work to remove any remaining content.
Evidence
Supporting (4)
- Tier 1 — Primary sourceWe’ve removed most of the links that were inadvertently shared
In response to the recent issue where user‑generated images were posted publicly, we have removed the majority of the links that were unintentionally shared.
- Tier 1 — Primary sourceOpenAI on X: “We’ve removed most of the links that were posted by mistake.”
We’ve removed most of the links that were posted by mistake. Thank you for your patience as we work to fix this.
- Tier 1 — Primary sourceOpenAI tools post user images from ChatGPT online
Technology Global issues OpenAI tools post user images from ChatGPT online Mahima Kapoor with AP and AFP 09/26/2026 September 26, 2026 OpenAI said it found 53 cases in which user-uploaded image links on ChatGPT were shared with third-party…
- Tier 1 — Primary sourceOpenAI tools post user images from ChatGPT online
the accounts and ran them through a privacy filter," it said. The company said it had removed most of the content and was working to remove the rest. Apart from the images, OpenAI confirmed a New York Times report that its tool had…
Contradicting (2)
- Tier 2 — Independent reportingindependent originOpenAI’s promise to delete shared images falls short
Despite OpenAI’s claim that it removed most of the links, our testing on Sep 27 2026 still found dozens of active URLs exposing user‑generated images.
- Tier 2 — Independent reportingindependent originOpenAI still hosting user images after removal claim, Reuters finds
Our analysis shows that a significant number of the URLs cited in the original incident remain reachable, contradicting OpenAI’s statement that most have been removed.
Limitations
Both pieces of evidence come from the same news outlet, so independent corroboration from additional sources is not present in the supplied data.
- Last verified:
- Sep 27, 2026, 9:18 PM CDT
- Pipeline:
- 2.1.0
- Claim type:
- Factual
Where this claim appeared
OpenAI tools post user images from ChatGPT onlineDeutsche Welle · Mahima Kapoor