OpenAI's ad collector at bzr.openai.com sets a cookie called __obi, scoped to .openai.com. The value is while you are on ChatGPT and tied to your ChatGPT account. __obi is then sent to OpenAI from ordinary websites you visit.
Any company that buys ads on ChatGPT installs
Gross.
This internet was a mistake. We need to burn it down and start over.
I do agree but the internet is not the source of turning everything to shit currently.
You might like the original development track that some idiots killed:
https://www.quora.com/Who-invented-the-modern-computer-look-and-feel/answer/Harri-K-Hiltunen
(long story)
The internet was great until the pointy shoe brigade got too much power in tech companies.
This is all organized crime at this point. A lesson in being nice to some people.