THE NEWS - Italy’s data-protection authority imposed a ban on ChatGPT, citing privacy concerns, and opened an investigation into OpenAI, the U.S. company behind the artificial intelligence application, over a suspected breach of data collection rules. It is the first Western country to block the advanced chatbot, according to the BBC.
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The
regulator said that the company has no legal basis to justify collecting and
storing people's personal data “for the purpose of 'training' the algorithms”
of the chatbot.
Earlier
this week the European Union's law enforcement agency Europol expressed concern
about the spread of disinformation when data through the app is processed
inaccurately, Reuters reported.
The
Italian ban order is temporary — until OpenAI complies with the European
Union’s General Data Protection Regulation, a privacy law that protects
individuals’ fundamental rights to data protection.
ChatGPT
suffered a data breach last week where it exposed the conversations and payment
information of a small fraction of ChatGPT Plus subscribers, Italian
authorities said. They also accused ChatGPT of failing to check the age of its
users: Only people above the age of 13 are supposed to be allowed to access the
chatbot.
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Italy’s
ban comes days after experts called for a stop to updates of ChatGPT and the
development of new apps similar to the artificial intelligence tool, fearing
that they could pose irreparable harm.
The app
reached 100 million monthly active users two months after it launched in
November, making it the fastest-growing consumer application in history, according
to Reuters.
Semafor
reached out to OpenAI for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
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From the European Economic Area
ChatGPT’s
representative in the European Economic Area has 20 days to respond to how the
app plans to comply with EU privacy laws. If not, OpenAI will be fined up to 4%
of its global revenue, Politico reports.
https://www.semafor.com/article/03/31/2023/chatgpt-banned-italy-privacy-concerns