ChatGPT back in Italy after meeting watchdog demands

OpenAI says it remains dedicated to protecting their privacy of users

By AP

Published: Fri 28 Apr 2023, 9:34 PM

ChatGPT's maker said on Friday that the artificial intelligence chatbot is available again in Italy after the company met the demands of regulators who temporarily blocked it over privacy concerns.

OpenAI said it fulfilled a raft of conditions that the Italian data protection authority wanted satisfied by an April 30 deadline to have the ban on the AI software lifted.

“ChatGPT is available again to our users in Italy,” San Francisco-based OpenAI said by email. “We are excited to welcome them back, and we remain dedicated to protecting their privacy.”

Last month, Italian watchdog, known as Garante, ordered OpenAI to temporarily stop processing Italian users’ personal information while it investigated a possible data breach. The authority said it didn’t want to hamper AI’s development but emphasised the importance of following the European Union’s strict data privacy rules.

OpenAI said it “addressed or clarified the issues” raised by the watchdog.

The measures include adding information on its website about how it collects and uses data used to train the algorithms that power ChatGPT, giving European Union users a new form they can use to object to having their data used for training, and adding a tool to verify users' ages when signing up.

Some Italian users shared what appeared to be screenshots of the changes, including a menu button asking users to confirm their age and links to the updated privacy policy and training data help page.

OpenAI's email included links to new English-language webpages aimed at satisfying the Italian regulators. A spokeswoman didn't respond immediately when asked whether Italian versions were also available.