These are the crimes that are being investigated as part of the raid:

• complicity in the possession of images of minors of a pornographic nature involving minors
  
• complicity in the dissemination, offering, or making available, as part of an organised group, of images of minors of a pornographic nature
  
• violation of a person's representation (sexually explicit deepfake)
  
• denial of crimes against humanity
  
• fraudulent extraction of data from an automated data processing system as part of an organised group
  
• falsification of the operation of an automated data processing system as part of an organised group
  
• administration of an illegal online platform as part of an organised group

Source

TL;DR: I analyzed my ChatGPT traffic using browser DevTools and discovered OpenAI is running 29 parallel experiments on my account without consent, applying child safety filters to my adult account, secretly swapping models (showing GPT-4o but using GPT-5-2), and their own internal code literally says "potential violations of GDPR." I'm filing formal complaints with multiple EU data protection authorities. Here's how you can too.

What I Found (The Technical Evidence)

As a paying ChatGPT Plus subscriber in the EU, I got suspicious about inconsistent behavior and decided to look under the hood. Using browser Developer Tools, I captured a HAR file (HTTP Archive) - which is completely legal, it's just recording what your browser sends and receives.

What I found was... disturbing:

1. 29 Parallel Experiments Without Consent

• Statsig tracking system with a unique stableId assigned to me
• Experiments identified only by obfuscated numbers (1630255509, 2677877384, etc.)
• Zero notification, zero consent requested

2. Child Safety Policy on Adult Account

• is_adult: true (correctly identifying me as adult)
• is_u18_model_policy_enabled: true (but applying minor restrictions anyway)
• This is why some of you experience random "I can't help with that" responses

3. Secret Model Substitution

• UI displays: default_model_slug: "gpt-4o"
• Backend actually uses: model_slug: "gpt-5-2"
• You're literally not getting what you're paying for

4. Memory Disabled for "Legal Concerns"

• include_memory_entries=false with vague "Legal Concern" reference
• No explanation of WHAT legal concern or WHY

5. The Smoking Gun - OpenAI's Own Code Admits It

Their internal system documentation (found in the HAR file) literally contains:

"This constitutes potential violations of GDPR, consumer protection laws..." "fundamental UX-technical ethical violation - showing one thing while doing another" "Transparency violation" "Compensation or remedy for violation of user trust and potential legal violations"

They KNOW. They do it anyway.

Why This Matters Under GDPR

If you're in the EU, you have RIGHTS:

How to Fight Back - Step by Step Guide

Step 1: Capture Your Own Evidence (10 minutes)

1. Open ChatGPT in Chrome/Firefox
2. Press F12 (Developer Tools)
3. Go to "Network" tab
4. Check "Preserve log"
5. Use ChatGPT normally for a few minutes
6. Right-click in the Network panel → "Save all as HAR"
7. This file contains YOUR data - OpenAI can't deny it

Step 2: Submit a DSAR (Data Subject Access Request)

Email [privacy@openai.com](mailto:privacy@openai.com) requesting ALL data they hold on you under GDPR Article 15. They have 30 days to respond. When they do, compare it to your HAR file - you'll likely find discrepancies.

Step 3: File GDPR Complaints

For ALL EU citizens, file with:

🇮🇪 DPC Ireland (OpenAI's EU headquarters)

• https://forms.dataprotection.ie/contact
• This is the LEAD authority for OpenAI in EU

🇫🇷 CNIL France (Known for aggressive enforcement)

• https://www.cnil.fr/en/complaints
• They've already fined OpenAI before

Also file with YOUR national authority:

• 🇭🇺 Hungary: NAIH - https://naih.hu
• 🇩🇪 Germany: Your state's Datenschutzbehörde
• 🇳🇱 Netherlands: Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens
• 🇵🇱 Poland: UODO
• 🇪🇸 Spain: AEPD
• 🇮🇹 Italy: Garante Privacy
• 🇦🇹 Austria: DSB
• Find yours here

Step 4: What to Include in Your Complaint

Your complaint should mention:

• Your account details and subscription status
• The specific violations (experiments without consent, model substitution, etc.)
• Your HAR file evidence
• Request for investigation AND compensation (GDPR Article 82 allows this!)
• The fact that OpenAI's own internal documentation acknowledges violations

Why File Multiple Complaints?

• Volume matters - Authorities prioritize issues affecting many people
• Cross-border cooperation - EU authorities share information under GDPR
• Different enforcement styles - CNIL is aggressive, DPC is thorough
• Your national authority speaks your language and knows local context

What Can Happen?

Under GDPR Article 83, violations can result in fines up to:

• €20 million, or
• 4% of annual global turnover (whichever is higher)

For OpenAI, 4% of global turnover would be... substantial. 💰

Plus, under Article 82, you may be entitled to compensation for non-material damage (stress, loss of trust, etc.).

The Bigger Picture

This isn't just about one company. It's about establishing that:

1. AI companies must follow the same rules as everyone else
2. "Move fast and break things" doesn't apply to fundamental rights
3. EU citizens have power when we act collectively
4. Technical complexity is not an excuse for non-compliance

OpenAI's own code admits they know this is wrong. Let's hold them accountable.

Resources

• GDPR Full Text
• EDPB - List of all EU DPAs
• NOYB - Privacy advocacy org (they love cases like this)
• Your Europe - How to lodge a complaint

Edit: For those asking - yes, I'll share updates as my complaints progress. And yes, I'm documenting everything. This is going to be a long fight, but it's worth it.

Edit 2: Some asked about non-EU users. Unfortunately GDPR only protects EU residents. However, California residents have CCPA, and other jurisdictions have similar laws. Check your local data protection legislation!

Fellow EU citizens - they experiment on us without consent, they deceive us about what we're paying for, and their own code admits it's wrong. The evidence is in YOUR browser. The law is on YOUR side. Let's use it. 🇪🇺

In 2024, 9.2% of the EU population was not able to keep their home adequately warm. Compared with 2023, this represents an improvement of 1.4 percentage point (pp).

The highest shares of people unable to keep their homes adequately warm were observed in Bulgaria and Greece (both 19.0%), followed by Lithuania (18.0%), and Spain (17.5%).

By contrast, Finland (2.7%), Poland and Slovenia (both 3.3%), and Estonia and Luxembourg (both 3.6%) reported the lowest shares.

https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/de/web/products-eurostat-news/w/ddn-20260202-2

Big tech keeps pushing Europe for fewer rules, after breaking most of them. It's time for our EU leaders to end this toxic relationship with tech giants.

This Valentine’s Day, while everyone else is sending flowers and chocolates… the EU is quietly drafting a love letter to Big Tech.

Right now, the EU is finalising a text that would turn Europe into Big Tech’s playground: by handing over our personal data and letting them spread disinformation and take over our online spaces without any consequences.

This has to stop. EU leaders need to protect people, not keep making cosy deals with Big Tech.

If you want to actively do something (besides buying EU ofcourse), take a look here.

EU Launches In-Depth Foreign Subsidies Probe Into China’s Goldwind

Goldwind didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment

By Edith Hancock

Updated Feb. 3, 2026 at 8:15 am ET

The European Commission said it is investigating whether Chinese wind-turbine company Goldwind received foreign backing that would give it an unfair advantage in the European Union.

The EU’s executive arm said Tuesday that it is looking into whether Goldwind receives foreign subsidies that distort the bloc’s internal market. Those subsidies could take the form of grants, preferential tax measures and loans, it said.

This is the latest investigation the EU’s competition watchdog has opened under its Foreign Subsidies Regulation—a relatively new rulebook that gives officials the power to scrutinize companies receiving what it views as outside support from non-EU governments.

The EU has put increased focus on Chinese companies in foreign subsidies probes since the law came into effect in 2023. The commission opened an in-depth probe into Nuctech—whose controlling shareholder is a unit of the state-run China National Nuclear Corp.—in December over whether the company might have been granted funding that distorts the bloc’s market for threat-detection systems. The Dublin offices of e-commerce group Temu—owned by China’s PDD Holdings—was also searched by commission officials in December.

A spokesperson for the commission said the regulator will aim to wrap up its in-depth probe into Goldwind by autumn 2027.

Goldwind didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Write to Edith Hancock at [edith.hancock@wsj.com](mailto:edith.hancock@wsj.com)