They chose to store all that data and do analytics on them and found this problematic interaction. They chose to invade peoples privacy but don't want to be held accountable for things they might find. I'd prefer privacy instead of them monitoring everything. They brought this discussion (and the ethics problem of what should be sanctioned and what not) onto themselves.

I want privacy, but the original question is irrelevant in response to an article about a situation in which it did not exist - OpenAI is providing a product that has surveillance baked into it, obvious by virtue of this article’s existence. They chose to actively make themselves aware of people using their service in a ways they deemed to be a problem in some way. This is likely one of many that they came into possession of information suggesting real life harm was imminent by one of their users, which incurred a responsibility, in my opinion, morally, and, I’m guessing, legally. They absconded from that responsibility.

Your questions are interesting, and you and me have likely arrived at similar answers to them, however they’re fully irrelevant to this specific situation in which they’ve already been answered within its context.

So you don't want to hold OpenAI and Sam Altman accountable. Got it, thanks.