Italy Gives OpenAI ChatGPT Unlock To-Do List
Italy’s data protection authority gave violations of data protection and youth protection as the reason for blocking the AI-based chatbot. She suspects that OpenAI, the parent company of ChatGPT, violates the European General Data Protection Regulation (EU-GDPR).
GDPR applies whenever personal data is processed, and there should be no doubt that AI chatbots like ChatGPT have pulled vast amounts of the material they use to train their AI models from the public internet.
Now the Italian authorities presented theirs requirements to OpenAI, compliance with which would result in the suspension being lifted. OpenAI must become transparent and publish an information notice about its data processing, it says.
In addition, an age restriction must be introduced immediately to prevent minors from accessing the technology. This goes hand in hand with the demand for more reliable age verification measures.
Furthermore, OpenAI has to clarify the legal basis it claims for the processing of personal data for the training of its AI – and it must offer users (and non-users) possibilities to exercise rights to their personal data, including the request to correct potential misinformation generated by ChatGPT about them. An Australian mayor has already sued OpenAI for defamation.
Italian users should also be given the opportunity to object to the processing of their data by OpenAI to train its algorithms. Also called for is an awareness campaign to make it clear to Italians that their information is being processed to train AI. This is “via radio, television, newspapers and the Internet” to perform.
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Certain requirements would have to be met by the end of April, for others the Italian data protection authority gave OpenAI more time, for example for the submission of reliable age verification technology.
The Italian authority attaches particular importance to the protection of children under the age of 13, who, according to the terms and conditions, are not allowed to use ChatGPT. However, according to her, there are no adequate filters or barriers in this direction. If necessary, she announced that she would take further measures against OpenAI.
Italy isn’t the only country concerned about ChatGPT. Meanwhile also have Canada’s Data Protection Commissioner initiated an investigation against OpenAI.