Are ChatGPT conversations private?

7 Replies

In a Facebook post, a retired newspaper reporter and blogger who I “met” online more than 20 years ago shared a situation described by someone on Reddit who wrote about a job interview that took a surprising turn.

The author described what started as a typical interview, which went well. Then at some point, one of the interviewers said they had been trying a different method to get to know candidates better.

The next question: “Do you use ChatGPT?” He answered that he did have some experience with it, as most people do.

Then came the unexpected.

“That’s when they asked me to take out my phone and open the app.
They wanted me to type this prompt:
“Based on my past conversations, can you analyze my behavioral tendencies?”

When the job candidate declined, the interview abruptly changed.

“The atmosphere shifted immediately…the energy was different.”

After another brief perfunctory exchange, and the interview was over, leaving the job candidate musing about the moment we’re in.

“The idea that what you write to an AI could become part of a hiring evaluation just feels strange to me,” he observed.

Thoughts??

Judge orders government to facilitate return of illegally deported Venezuelans

Leave a reply

Here we go again.

Another strongly worded opinion and order by a federal judge in the District of Columbia took the government to task for ignoring both prior court orders and the constitutional rights of Venezuelans illegally deported to a notorious prison in El Salvador without due process. The opinion by James E. Boasberg, chief judge of the DC Circuit, came the same day as a colleague on the court issued an order blocking the government from retaliating against Senator Mark Kelly by reducing his rank and retirement pay.

The Guardian reported:

A US federal judge’s order that some of the Venezuelan men sent by the Trump administration to a notorious prison in El Salvador must be allowed to return to the United States to fight their cases has been greeted with hope and a sense of vindication – but also fear – by one of the deportees.

US district judge James Boasberg ruled on Thursday in Washington DC that the Trump administration should facilitate the return of deportees who are currently in countries outside Venezuela, saying they must be given the opportunity to seek the due process they were denied after being illegally expelled from the US last March.

Boasberg added that the US government should cover the travel costs of those who wish to come to the US to argue their immigration cases.

The tone of Boasberg’s memo was one of frustration and exasperation at the government’s failure to comply with basic constitutional constraints.

On December 22, 2025, this Court issued a Memorandum Opinion finding that the Government had denied due process to a class of Venezuelans it deported to El Salvador last March in defiance of this Court’s Order. The Court offered the Government the opportunity to propose steps that would facilitate hearings for the class members on their habeas corpus claims so that they could “challenge their designations under the [Alien Enemies Act] and the validity of the [President’s] Proclamation.” Id. Apparently not interested in participating in this process, the Government’s responses essentially told the Court to pound sand. Believing that other courses would be both more productive and in line with the Supreme Court’s requirements outlined in Noem v. Abrego Garcia, =the Court will now order the Government to facilitate the return from third countries of those Plaintiffs who so desire. It will also permit other Plaintiffs to file their habeas supplements from abroad.

The order is just 7 pages long, and well worth reading to appreciate the extent to which the government has been extending a symbolic middle-finger at the attempts of the federal courts to press the Trump administration to comply with constitutional guidelines.

Judge blocks retaliation against Sen. Mark Kelly for “illegal orders” video

Leave a reply

In an opinion issued Thursday, Judge Richard Leon, senior US District Court for the District of Columbia, granted Senator Mark Kelly a preliminary injunction blocking Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth from retaliating against Kelly for a video he and others made citing laws requiring refusal to obey illegal orders.

The opinion’s opening paragraphs make the judge’s viewpoint clear:

United States Senator Mark Kelly, a retired naval officer, has been censured by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth for voicing certain opinions on military actions and policy. In addition, he has been subjected to proceedings to possibly reduce his retirement rank and pay and threatened with criminal prosecution if he continues to speak out on these issues. Secretary Hegseth relies on the well-established doctrine that military servicemembers enjoy less vigorous First Amendment protections given the fundamental obligation for obedience and discipline in the armed forces. Unfortunately for Secretary Hegseth, no court has ever extended those principles to retired servicemembers, much less a retired servicemember serving in Congress and exercising oversight responsibility over the military. This Court will not be the first to do so!

Worse still, Secretary Hegseth contends that this Court is not yet competent to decide the issues in this case. He and his fellow Defendants argue that military personnel decisions are exempt from judicial review and, in any event, that Senator Kelly should first be required to go through the military appeals process so the military can have the first crack at adjudicating his First Amendment rights. I disagree. This Court has all it needs to conclude that Defendants have trampled on Senator Kelly’s First Amendment freedoms and threatened the constitutional liberties of millions of military retirees. After all, as Bob Dylan famously said, “You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows.” To say the least, our retired veterans deserve more respect from their Government, and our Constitution demands they receive it!

Leon’s full opinion appears below.

Feline Friday the 13th

1 Reply

No bad luck here today, just good vibes from our Kahala cats!

Let’s see. Kali got cooperative after a double dose of gabapentin, one dab (.1 mL) rubbed gently into the inside of each ear. Luckily, she seemed the enjoy the ear rub, which made it much easier. The calming effect seemed to peak between two and three hours after it was applied. Now that we’re somewhat confident that her defenses will be lowered when she meets the vet, I made appointments for both Kali and Kinikini for their regular “annual” checkups.

It’s going to be interesting to see how their teeth and gums are doing after they were switched to a dry food dental diet, which is supposed to improve their dental health. And all of our rescue cats have had dental issues in the past. I hope the change in diet has had the desired effect.

So what else is going on in the world of cats? The wandering neighbor cat, a handsome gray and white male, strolled across our back deck a few days ago. Kiko, who was watching the world from a spot on our dining room table, immediately went on full alert and tracked him as he slowed down, looked back at the house, and then meandered down the stairs into the back yard and towards the place in the back corner of the yard where he slips through the fence and either goes home or proceeds on his rounds. Kiko appreciated the exciting moment, I think.

The long week of rainy weather has meant fewer afternoon sun spots. Kinikini often strolls out to the living room at the appropriate time of the afternoon to check, and has been leaving disappointed. Hopefully the weather will clear soon.

Well, enough small talk. It’s time to bring on the cats!

Feline Friday the 13th