Optery’s proprietary matching algorithms for generating Removals Reports are quite sophisticated, but we are always striving to improve. In our continual push to innovate and improve results for our customers, we began testing AI platforms on internal test data to see if they could outperform our proprietary Internal Processing technology for generating Removals Reports.
One of the primary requirements was for a powerful AI model we wouldn’t have to pre-train or fine-tune with our customer’s data.
We tested the following models: ChatGPT 4-turbo, ChatGPT 4o, Anthropic Claude 3 Haiku, Anthropic Claude 3 Sonnet, and Anthropic Claude 3 Opus.
Why We Chose OpenAI
None of the AI models tested outperformed our Internal Processing technology except one: ChatGPT 4o – and it did so exceedingly well.
We wanted it to work with one of the Anthropic models. The advantage of using an Anthropic AI model, is that they are easy to set up in our internal cloud, so that the requests to the model would go to a version of that model installed in our internal cloud, instead of sending those requests to an external vendor, such as OpenAI. But the accuracy did not meet our standards.
LLama was also considered, but it doesn’t have built-in support for images, and projects like LLava would need a custom solution that would require a lot of resources and would not be easy to auto-scale within our cloud.
When the ChatGPT 4o model was released, it performed the best out of all the models and it met the requirement that we would not have to pre-train or fine-tune it with our customer’s data. The drawback was that it is externally hosted by OpenAI.
Confidence in OpenAI’s security posture also played a key role in our decision. OpenAI is SOC 2 Type 2 compliant, a rigorous standard for data security and privacy, and they undergo regular third-party penetration testing to ensure their systems remain secure. They also operate a bug bounty program to quickly address any vulnerabilities that may be discovered. OpenAI has stated that they are compliant with the CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act) and GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation).
As the AI landscape continues its rapid evolution, Optery will continue to evaluate models and options.
AI Processing is an Opt In Feature, whereas Internal Processing is the Default
By default, all customers are opted into Internal Processing for Removals Reports. If customers would like AI Processing for their Removals Reports, they must manually opt in from the Account settings page. We believe this approach strikes the right balance between those customers who prefer AI Processing with those who do not.
Internal Processing provides a closed environment inside Optery’s proprietary systems for processing Removals Reports and does not utilize third-party systems such as OpenAI. However, the tradeoff for selecting Internal Processing is lower Removals Report accuracy and reduced removals efficiency.
Using AI For Good
As technology advances, so does the sophistication of data brokers. Many data brokers currently utilize AI to aggregate, assemble, and sell consumer data at unprecedented rates. Indeed, a new class of data broker companies is rapidly emerging which are AI-based platforms for data brokering – and they are brutally powerful.
Rather than sit idly by while data brokers gain the upper hand utilizing AI systems to supercharge their data brokering activities, Optery wanted to leverage AI for good and use it to strengthen the privacy of our customers.
AI Processing for Removals Reports provides more than just greater accuracy. The AI Processing of Removals Reports also provides highly intelligent feedback for identifying exposed profiles, thereby also increasing the effectiveness of removals, which is Optery’s ultimate purpose.
Opting Into AI Processing for Removals Reports
If a customer opts in to our AI Processing feature, Optery will send OpenAI the customer’s screenshots and data necessary to process the screenshots. However, only the screenshots and data necessary to process the screenshots are sent to OpenAI. The data sent to OpenAI to process the screenshots is currently: first name, middle name, last name, age, company name(s), and current and past cities, states, and countries. This is the same information already posted on the internet by data brokers and is what helps OpenAI analyze the screenshot images. Optery does not send phone numbers, email addresses, full street addresses, family members names, or full birthdates to OpenAI. None of the screenshots or data is provided to OpenAI for training its AI models.
When a Removals Report is processed, we send in only the customer data for that one single customer. Then, when the report processing completes, typically in less than 24 hours, all of that customer’s data is immediately deleted as soon as the report is complete. Optery does not and has not ever sent user data to OpenAI in bulk for its customer base. Removals Reports data is processed, customer by customer, in isolation.
AI Processing for Removals Reports is currently available as an option for Extended and Ultimate plan customers only. Core and Free Basic customers are not eligible at this time.
If you would like to opt in to AI Processing for your Removals Reports, please navigate to the Removals Reports Preferences section of your Account page.
For more information, please see our Help Desk articles on AI Processing and Internal Processing.
- https://help.optery.com/en/article/what-is-a-removals-report-1ht35vl/
- https://help.optery.com/en/article/how-does-ai-processing-work-for-generating-removals-reports-and-how-to-opt-in-1yxq75z/
- https://help.optery.com/en/article/how-does-internal-processing-work-for-generating-removals-reports-fsksrc/
Putting Our Customers’ Privacy First
At Optery, our customers are at the center of everything we do. We value the trust you place in us when signing up for our services, and we take that responsibility and your expectations very seriously. With the introduction of AI Processing for Removals Reports, we’re taking another step toward ensuring that we provide the most advanced and effective personal data removal service in the world. We’re dedicated to ensuring that your privacy is protected with the most cutting-edge technology and methods available.