Some shared Claude chats were searchable on Google, reports say

In short: Some conversations and projects shared from Anthropic’s Claude were briefly searchable on Google, raising privacy concerns.

What happened

Over the weekend, Reddit users reported that they could find a large number of Claude “shared chats” and “Artifacts” through Google. Artifacts are mini apps and documents people can build inside Claude, like a small interactive page.

People said they found the links by using a special Google search that looks only on a specific part of a website, such as “site:claude.ai/share.” Some of the results reportedly included very sensitive information, including health records, private company documents, and children’s names and phone numbers.

TechCrunch reported that the issue seemed connected to Claude’s “share chat” feature. This feature creates a link that “anyone with the link can view,” which is similar to sharing a private link to a document. The problem is that some of these links ended up being easy to find through search engines.

Anthropic told TechCrunch that the links only show up in search results if someone posts them publicly, like on a forum or social media. The company said it does not provide search engines with a directory of shared chats. Google said search engines do not decide what is public, and website owners can control whether pages get indexed (added to the search catalog, like a library listing).

By Monday afternoon, TechCrunch said the same Google search no longer showed results, suggesting the exposure had been addressed.

Why it matters

Many people share links assuming they are only for a small group, like handing someone a key instead of putting a sign on the front door. This incident is a reminder to review what you have shared, especially if a tool offers a “public link” option.

Source: TechCrunch AI