OpenAI’s ChatGPT is back in Italy after meeting watchdog demands
OpenAI’s ChatGPT is once again available to users in Italy after the company met a set of conditions issued by the Italian data protection authority. The watchdog temporarily blocked ChatGPT over data privacy concerns and ordered OpenAI to stop processing Italian users' personal information. The ban was lifted once OpenAI fulfilled the conditions set by the Italian authority, which included adding information to its website about data collection and usage and how to object to data usage.
OpenAI’s generative AI system, ChatGPT, uses a vast pool of online data to produce text, images, and other content that mimics human work. Such systems have raised ethical and societal concerns among officials and tech leaders, with the EU updating its draft AI regulations. The head of the Federal Trade Commission, Lina Khan, warned against harmful business practices involving AI and confirmed that the US government will take necessary steps to prevent it.
The Italian watchdog, known as Garante, demanded OpenAI to comply with two more demands for an age-verification system and a public awareness campaign informing Italians about their right to opt out of data processing. Other regulators in France and Canada are also investigating ChatGPT after receiving complaints about it.
