Italy Reactivates ChatGPT After OpenAI Addresses Regulator's Concerns
Italy's data protection authority, Garante, has allowed OpenAI's ChatGPT chatbot to resume operating in the country following concerns over its breach of privacy rules. The chatbot was taken offline by Microsoft-backed OpenAI last month after Garante temporarily banned it and launched an investigation. The regulator had criticized the app for the "absence of any legal basis that justifies the massive collection and storage of personal data" to train the AI. Additionally, Garante had accused OpenAI of failing to verify the ages of ChatGPT's users, who should be 13 years or older. OpenAI has now agreed to provide a tool that will allow users in Italy to verify their age upon sign-up, among other measures.
OpenAI will also offer a new form that will allow European Union users to object to the use of their personal data to train its models. Garante has welcomed OpenAI's compliance with data protection regulations and will continue its probe of ChatGPT while collaborating with the European Data Protection Board's task force on the chatbot. Italy was the first western European country to curb ChatGPT, and the app's development has drawn scrutiny from regulators in several countries. Following Garante's interest, a committee of European Union lawmakers has now agreed to new rules that will require companies deploying generative AI tools like ChatGPT to disclose any copyrighted material used to develop their systems.
