According to OpenAI, ChatGPT is now accessible in Italy after meeting a number of regulatory requirements. The Garante data protection authority requested that OpenAI overcome various concerns by the end of this month in order to remove the chatbot’s interim prohibition.
“ChatGPT is available again to our users in Italy,” OpenAI said in a statement to the Associated Press. “We are excited to welcome them back, and we remain dedicated to protecting their privacy.”
we’re excited chatgpt is available in ?? again!
— Sam Altman (@sama) April 28, 2023
ChatGPT was barred by Italian officials in March because to concerns that the AI’s training techniques and chatbot breached the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Officials ordered OpenAI to cease processing personal information of users in the nation while they investigated a possible data breach.
Earlier this month, the Garante instructed OpenAI to include a privacy disclosure on the website explaining how data is collected and used to train ChatGPT’s algorithms. The watchdog also ordered the firm to provide a form via which EU users may object to their data being used for training purposes, as well as to implement an age verification mechanism.
This week, OpenAI added privacy controls to ChatGPT. The options, among other things, enable users to turn off their conversation history, which prevents OpenAI from accessing the data for training purposes. According to TechCrunch, users in Italy are now getting a pop-up asking them to affirm they are at least 18 years old or, if they are between the ages of 13 and 17, that they have the agreement of a parent or guardian to use ChatGPT.
In a statement, Italy’s data protection office said it “welcomes the measures OpenAI implemented,” but asked the business to follow through on other recommendations made by the Garante. “This applies in particular to the implementation of an age verification system as well as the planning and execution of an information campaign to inform Italians of what happened as well as their right to opt out of the processing of their personal data for training algorithms.”
The watchdog stated that it expects OpenAI would continue to make steps to comply with the GDPR and that it will keep an eye on ChatGPT. “The Italian [supervisory authority] will continue its fact-finding activities regarding OpenAI under the umbrella of the European Data Protection Board’s ad hoc task force,” the statement ended.
