300 million AI chats, open to anyone
One of the most downloaded AI chat apps stored every conversation on a server that anyone could read. A security researcher says he could see 300 million messages.
Chat & Ask AI looks like many apps in the store: one place to talk to ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini. It has been downloaded more than 50 million times. People used it the way they use any AI: for homework, for work, and for the things they don’t say out loud.
In January 2026, a security researcher found that the app’s database was open. A setting in Google Firebase, the service the app was built on, let anyone read the stored data without logging in. He says he could access about 300 million messages from more than 25 million users: complete chat histories, the AI models people used, and their settings (Malwarebytes, first reported by 404 Media).
What we know
- The developer, Codeway, fixed the problem within hours after it was reported. Data from its other apps was exposed too.
- Some of the messages were about suicide and illegal activities. In other words: exactly the conversations people expected to stay private.
- The researcher scanned 200 iPhone apps. 103 of them had the same problem.
The numbers come from the researcher and haven’t been checked independently. But the lesson doesn’t depend on the exact count.
What it means for you
Every chat that’s stored on a server can one day be read by someone it wasn’t meant for: through a mistake like this one, a hack, or a court order. Big AI companies are better at security than a small app, but the rule is the same everywhere. What isn’t sent can’t leak.
- Use the official apps of the AI services rather than “all-in-one” wrappers.
- Delete chats you don’t need, and use a temporary chat for personal questions. How temporary chats work.
- Leave out names, addresses and other details. You rarely need them for a good answer. How to do that.
Where Kamelo helps
When you type something personal on ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini, Kamelo notices it on your computer and suggests a better place to ask: a temporary chat that stays out of your history, or Melo, Kamelo’s private chat. In Chrome, Melo answers on your own computer. That conversation isn’t stored on any server, because it’s never sent.