ChatGPT Facing Ban
The US company behind advanced chatbot ChatGPT is facing a ban in Italy due to privacy concerns. The regulator wants them to cease processing data until they demonstrate compliance with European data protection laws.
Last week, more than 1,100 tech experts, including Elon Musk, called for a moratorium on the release of powerful generative AI models such as ChatGPT. If this move is made, it could thwart new tools from emerging AI companies and pose fresh policy challenges.
Privacy concerns
Italy has banned a popular chatbot powered by artificial intelligence, accusing its parent company of “unlawful” data collection. On Friday, the Guarantor for the Protection of Personal Data announced that it had ordered OpenAI to cease collecting and processing user data on ChatGPT within Italy.
According to Italy’s regulator, US-based OpenAI had been using bulk collections of user data for “training” a large language model that powers ChatGPT’s algorithms. Furthermore, the agency claimed that OpenAI violated Europe’s GDPR. It did this by not providing users with enough information regarding how their personal data was being used.
ChatGPT will remain operational in the UK, where officials are in the process of creating regulations to regulate it. Meanwhile, consumer advocacy group BEUC urged EU authorities and national regulators to examine chatbots and similar AI tools.
ChatGPT Facing Ban in Italy – Data breach
Data breachs are incidents in which sensitive, protected or confidential information is copied, transmitted, viewed, stolen or altered without the owner’s consent. This can result in significant financial losses as well as reputational harm.
Companies who fail to protect their personal information face the potential loss of customers and future business opportunities. The most common type of breached personal information is PII (personally identifiable information). This can also include payment card data, trade secrets and national security info.
An Italian data protection agency has ordered OpenAI, the company behind chatgpt, to cease processing user data in Italy. They claimed it violated Europe’s privacy law and expressed a “strong concern” over any unlawful data collection practices.
The regulator also pointed to an earlier data breach that exposed users’ chats and payment information. According to the regulator, OpenAI could face fines of up to 20 million euros or 4 percent of its annual revenue. This will be depending on how the company responded.
Legality
ChatGPT, an AI chatbot created by OpenAI, is facing a ban in Italy. This is the first Western country to take such action against an AI tool. Italian regulators cited concerns around data privacy and the legal basis for ChatGPT’s bulk collection of user data. This was the reasons for taking action against it.
According to the Italian watchdog, OpenAI’s data collection to train ChatGPT’s large language model violated GDPR regulations. They added that there was no legal basis for collecting or storing users’ personal information for training. Also, as well as failing to inform users about its collection practices and reporting a March 20 data breach.
Additionally, ChatGPT lacks age verification and thus could be used by those under 13 years old. These are serious matters at a time when AI systems with human-competitive intelligence could pose profound threats to society and humanity. Last week, over 1,000 tech experts including Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak and Elon Musk called for a pause in development of powerful AI systems until ethical questions are addressed.
ChatGPT Facing Ban in Italy – Enforcement
Chatgpt, created by OpenAI of San Francisco, is an acclaimed artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot. It can draft essays, engage in humanlike conversations and even perform more complex tasks such as writing computer code.
However, AI tools have also raised privacy issues, particularly as they become more sophisticated. This week, hundreds of experts and industry figures signed an open letter calling for a pause in development so society can assess the potential risks.
According to Italy’s data protection regulator, ChatGPT violated data protection laws by not informing those whose personal information it collects. Furthermore, the company lacks legal justification for processing a significant amount of personal information in order to “train” its chatbot’s algorithms.
The Italian regulator said it will halt use of ChatGPT immediately and investigate its creator, OpenAI, due to a March 20 data breach and lack of legal basis for using people’s data for training the chatbot. Furthermore, they criticized the bot for failing to verify ages, leading children to inappropriate answers.