<\/span><\/h2>\nAccording to OpenAI, a malicious page or prompt can attempt to influence an AI agent into requesting a URL that includes private details such as names, email addresses, or document references.<\/span><\/p>\nThe request may occur in the background, triggered by actions like loading an image or previewing a link. Users may not see any indication that information has been transmitted.<\/span><\/p>\nThe risk increases when combined with prompt injection techniques, where instructions hidden in web content attempt to override the AI\u2019s intended behavior. OpenAI says this means data exposure can occur even when visible responses appear safe.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/span>Why Trusted Site Filtering Was Not Enough<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\nOpenAI considered restricting AI agents to a list of well-known websites, but said that approach leaves gaps. Many legitimate sites rely on redirects, allowing traffic to be routed through trusted domains and sent elsewhere.<\/span><\/p>\nStrict allow lists also introduce usability problems. Frequent warnings and blocked requests can lead users to ignore safety prompts altogether, weakening protection over time.<\/span><\/p>\nInstead, OpenAI focused on whether a specific URL exists publicly on the web, independent of any user interaction.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/span>What OpenAI Changed<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\nThe company now allows AI agents to automatically load only URLs that have already been observed on the public internet.<\/span><\/p>\nThis is enforced using an independent web index that scans publicly available pages in the same way search engines do. The index operates separately from user conversations and does not rely on personal data.<\/span><\/p>\nIf a URL matches one already seen publicly, the AI can retrieve it automatically. If it does not, the link is treated as unverified and may require user confirmation or be avoided altogether.<\/span><\/p>\nOpenAI says this reduces the likelihood that URLs contain user-specific or conversation-specific information.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
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