OpenAI announced a new feature that it says will provide additional protection from prompt injection attacks, where malicious chatbot instructions are hidden in webpages and other content sources.

Among other things, Lockdown Mode will disable live web browsing (so you can only access cached content), the retrieval and display of images from the web (you can still generate images), deep research, and agent mode.

The company says that even with Lockdown Mode turned on, ChatGPT could still be vulnerable to prompt injections — which could, for example, “appear in cached web content or in an uploaded file, and could still affect the behavior or accuracy of a response.”

But the goal is to reduce the likelihood that sensitive data gets shared in the process.

“Lockdown Mode is not intended for everyone,” OpenAI says. “It is designed for people and organizations that handle sensitive data and want stricter protection from data exfiltration risks related to prompt injection.”

The company says it’s currently rolling Lockdown Mode out to self-serve ChatGPT Business accounts, as well as eligible personal accounts.

Folashade Tinubu-Ojo, daughter of President Bola Tinubu, says the Oyo State government and the federal government are working but should increase efforts to protect lives and property, adding that citizens should also take their security seriously. 

 Mrs Tinubu-Ojo, who visited Ogbomoso over the abduction of 46 schoolchildren and teachers in Esienle and Yawota communities in Orire Local Government Area on May 15, advised both the Oyo and federal governments to intensify efforts to rescue the victims and secure the country.

She said, “My advice for Oyo State government and (Tinubu-led) federal government is that we know they are working, but they should increase efforts to secure the country.

“Security is very important. We know the government is there for us. We citizens, too, should take our security seriously. In our market, we tell them: when you see any strange face, and we know it’s not one of us in the market, we should ask them where they are from and what they want. If you have something, say something.”

Mrs Tinubu-Ojo’s visit to Ogbomoso came 20 days after the schoolchildren were abducted. 

Delay in the rescue of the abductees has sparked protests in Lagos, Ibadan, Ogbomoso, Bayelsa, and Plateau, while the Nigerian Union of Teachers directed their members to down tools in protest.