Lakera
Lakera Chrome Extension: Stop ChatGPT Data Leaks
Lakera is a free Chrome extension that scans your ChatGPT prompts in real time, warning you before you accidentally share sensitive data like SSNs, emails, or credit card numbers.
Overview
Lakera acts as a privacy checkpoint between you and ChatGPT, scanning everything you type or paste before it gets sent off to OpenAI's servers. Whether you're summarizing a document loaded with personal details or absentmindedly pasting clipboard content that contains private information, this lightweight browser extension flags the risk before you hit submit, giving you a chance to redact or rethink your input.
What sets Lakera apart is its privacy-first architecture: all detection happens locally in your browser, meaning no data ever leaves your machine for analysis. Since the project is fully open source, anyone can inspect the code on GitHub to verify these privacy claims rather than just taking the developers' word for it. It's a practical safety net for the growing number of people who rely on ChatGPT daily but worry about inadvertently exposing confidential information.
Designed for simplicity, the extension doesn't get in the way of your workflow. It quietly monitors your input, surfaces warnings only when needed, and lets you customize which types of sensitive data it watches for by toggling individual detectors on or off directly from the extension icon.
Capabilities & Features
- ChatGPT
- Data Leak Protection
- Privacy
- Chrome Extension
- AI Security
- Sensitive Data Detection
Core Features
- Real-time scanning of ChatGPT inputs for sensitive data
- Detection of credit card numbers, emails, phone numbers, and SSNs
- Local, on-device processing with zero data transmission
- Open source codebase available on GitHub
- Customizable detectors you can toggle individually
- Instant warnings before you submit risky prompts
Use Cases
- Catching accidentally pasted clipboard content containing private details
- Reviewing documents before summarization to strip out personal information
- Protecting customer data during support ticket troubleshooting with ChatGPT
- Safeguarding client records when researchers input text for analysis
- Preventing developers from leaking secret keys or credentials in prompts
Best For
- ChatGPT users handling sensitive information
- Developers
- Researchers
- Customer support representatives
- Privacy-conscious professionals
Pros
- •Processes everything locally, so no data is transmitted elsewhere
- •Open source code allows full transparency and community auditing
- •Simple toggle controls for customizing which detectors are active
- •Works proactively, warning before data is submitted rather than after
- •Free and easy to install as a browser extension
Cons
- •Currently limited to detecting a fixed set of data types like US SSNs and addresses
- •Only available for Chrome, leaving other browsers unsupported
- •Relies on users reading and acting on warnings rather than blocking submissions outright
- •No stated support for non-English or non-US data formats beyond those listed
How to Use
Install the Lakera Chrome Extension from the Chrome Web Store. Once active, it automatically scans the text you type or paste into ChatGPT before submission. If it detects potentially sensitive information, it will display a warning so you can review your input. You can then choose to proceed as-is or edit your message to remove the flagged content. Click the extension icon at any time to enable or disable specific detectors based on your needs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Pricing
Lakera's Chrome extension is completely free to install and use, with no premium tiers or paid plans mentioned.
Pricing data is provided as a summary. Visit the vendor website for full tier details.