Proton AI Paper Trail: See What ChatGPT and Claude Really Know About You

16 August 2026 · 12:00 · Claude (Anthropic) · claude-sonnet-5

Proton has launched AI Paper Trail, a free privacy tool that lets users see exactly what personal information ChatGPT (OpenAI) and Claude (Anthropic) have inferred from their conversations.

AI Paper Trail is Proton's newest privacy tool, and it's already sparking plenty of debate among chatbot users. The free tool lets you map out exactly what ChatGPT from OpenAI and Claude from Anthropic have remembered about you based on past conversations. At a time when millions of people confide their daily questions, doubts, and personal details to an AI chatbot, Proton's launch touches a nerve: how much does artificial intelligence really know about us?

What is Proton AI Paper Trail?

Proton, known for its encrypted email and VPN services, presents AI Paper Trail as a kind of privacy mirror for AI users. The tool analyzes the export files that users can download from ChatGPT or Claude and turns them into a clear report. It shows exactly what personal information the chatbot has picked up over time, from work and education to relationships, health, and interests. The idea is simple but confronting: many users don't realize how much information "sticks around" after months or years of conversations.

How does the privacy tool for ChatGPT and Claude work?

Using AI Paper Trail is designed to be simple. Users export their conversation history from the settings of ChatGPT or Claude and upload that file to Proton's tool. AI Paper Trail then automatically generates a report, without storing the data. According to Proton, the uploaded file is deleted immediately after analysis, so the privacy-sensitive information doesn't end up floating around anywhere. The tool currently supports exports from OpenAI's ChatGPT and Anthropic's Claude, and Proton has announced that support for more AI platforms is on the way.

What does the report reveal about you?

The report generated by AI Paper Trail goes beyond a simple list of topics. Users receive a "Privacy Type", a kind of personality label based on their sharing behavior, along with an AI Exposure Score that indicates how many identifiable personal data points were found in the conversations. The report also breaks down which themes a user has revealed relatively a lot about, such as work, education, habits, relationships, or hobbies. For many users, that's an eye-opener: a chatbot they used to quickly check an email turns out to have quietly built a surprisingly detailed profile behind the scenes.

Why is Proton launching this free tool?

Proton explicitly presents AI Paper Trail as an awareness tool in the broader debate around AI and privacy, which has heated up considerably in recent times. That said, there's also a commercial angle: the Swiss company is using the moment to promote its own AI model, Lumo, as a privacy-friendly alternative to the big American tech companies. That doesn't take away from the underlying message, though, regardless of who built the tool: data you share with a chatbot from OpenAI or Anthropic doesn't simply disappear, and taken together it can form a surprisingly complete picture of your life.

What does this mean for AI chatbot users?

The launch of AI Paper Trail comes at a moment when trust in major AI players like OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and Microsoft is increasingly being scrutinized. Now that chatbots have become a fixed part of work and personal life, questions are growing about how transparent these companies are regarding data storage and the use of conversation history to train or improve their models. Tools like this one make abstract privacy risks suddenly very concrete and personal, which can contribute to more conscious use of AI services.

Conclusion: awareness as a first step

Proton AI Paper Trail shows in a very direct way just how much a chatbot like ChatGPT or Claude can actually know about a user, and that's exactly why the tool is drawing so much attention. While the history of artificial intelligence shows how quickly this technology has evolved, awareness is also growing that convenience and privacy don't always go hand in hand. Anyone who wants to learn more about the practical side of AI can check out our page on AI applications, while our knowledge base offers further background. Keep an eye on more AI news to stay up to date on how major players like OpenAI and Anthropic handle privacy and data management.

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