In its announcement last month, the Guarantor for the Protection of Personal Data (GPDP) had prohibited access to ChatGPT as part of its ongoing investigation into whether the chatbot contravened Italy’s data privacy laws, as well as the EU’s well-known General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
The GPDP expressed apprehension that ChatGPT could retrieve and disclose private data like phone numbers and addresses from input queries. Furthermore, authorities were anxious that the chatbot could present minors with unsuitable responses that may have harmful effects.
To lift the ChatGPT ban, the GPDP has set conditions that OpenAI must meet. The creator of ChatGPT must implement regulations that protect minors and users’ personal information by April 30th, 2023. OpenAI has also been instructed to inform users on its website about how ChatGPT stores and handles their data, as well as require users to confirm their age as 18 or older before they can use the software.
As part of the conditions for lifting the ChatGPT ban, OpenAI must implement an age verification process for new users and block access to users under the age of 13. For users aged between 13 and 18, parental consent must be obtained before using the software.
In addition, OpenAI must obtain explicit consent to use people’s data for training its AI models. It must also allow anyone, regardless of whether they are a user or not, to request the correction or complete deletion of any false personal information generated by ChatGPT.
The implementation of these changes by September 30th is crucial to preventing the ban from being reinstated. This ban is part of a wider trend of increased regulatory scrutiny of AI technologies worldwide. ChatGPT is not alone in facing regulatory challenges; other AI systems have also been subjected to similar scrutiny.
Following official complaints, regulators in Canada and France are investigating whether ChatGPT violates data privacy laws. Additionally, Spain has requested that the EU’s privacy watchdog conduct a thorough investigation into ChatGPT.
The increased regulatory scrutiny of ChatGPT and similar AI systems underscores the importance of developers taking a proactive approach to addressing privacy concerns and implementing measures to safeguard users’ personal data.
