Italy’s main technology regulator has accused OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT, of breaching Europe’s key data privacy legislation, potentially resulting in substantial penalties. The allegations center around the failure to supervise content appropriate for minors.
The Data Protection Authority of Italy, also known as the Garante, has revealed that it notified OpenAI of violations of data protection laws. However, the specific breaches and subsequent actions against the tech firm were not outlined by the agency.
Italian authorities are particularly concerned about the exposure of unsuitable content to young users through the chatbot. OpenAI requires users to be at least 13 years old, with those under 18 needing parental consent, as indicated on its platform.
The Garante is also scrutinizing OpenAI’s methods of data collection for training its chatbot, citing evidence of breaches of EU GDPR regulations.
This development marks a heightened level of scrutiny by Italian regulators towards OpenAI’s popular AI tool. Previously, Italy had imposed a temporary ban on ChatGPT, the first ban of its kind in Europe, which was later lifted after OpenAI addressed privacy concerns.
Under the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation, companies found in violation could face fines of up to 4% of their global revenue. The potential consequences for OpenAI following the recent actions by the Garante remain uncertain.
OpenAI has refuted the claims by the Italian agency, asserting that their practices are in line with GDPR and privacy laws. The company has underscored its dedication to protecting data and privacy, including minimizing personal data in training its systems like ChatGPT and refraining from gathering private or sensitive information.
The increased scrutiny in Italy compounds the challenges for OpenAI, supported by Microsoft, which is also facing growing legal and regulatory scrutiny in the US. Antitrust regulators in the US and Europe are investigating the Microsoft-OpenAI partnership for possible competition concerns.
Additionally, OpenAI is currently dealing with a federal copyright infringement lawsuit from The New York Times, alleging unauthorized utilization of articles to train ChatGPT’s language model without proper authorization or compensation.
Source: Post wires
