ChatGPT Banned in Italy Over Privacy Concerns
ChatGPT Banned in Italy Over Privacy Concerns :- The model, developed by US start-up OpenAI and supported by Microsoft, raised privacy issues, according to the Italian data protection authorities.
With “immediate effect,” the agency said it will forbid OpenAI and launch an investigation.
OpenAI assured the BBC that it adhered to privacy rules.
Since its debut in November 2022, ChatGPT has been used by millions of users.
With the internet as it was in 2021 as its database, it can replicate different writing styles and respond to queries in a manner that is natural and human-like.
It was included to Bing last month after Microsoft invested billions in it.
Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook
Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook will all have a version of the technology integrated into them, according to the company.
Concerns have been raised about the possible downsides of artificial intelligence (AI), including the threat it poses to employment and the spread of bias and false information.
Elon Musk and other prominent industry heavyweights called for the suspension of these AI systems earlier this week over concerns that the race to develop them was out of control.
In addition to blocking OpenAI’s chatbot, the Italian watchdog declared that it will look into whether it complies with the General Data Protection Regulation.
The GDPR sets rules for the collection, use, processing, and storage of personal data.
The data breach involved user communications and payment details, the watchdog reported on March 20. It claimed that there was no legal justification for “the widespread collecting and storage of personal data for the purpose of ‘training’ the platform’s operating algorithms.”
Degree of Development and Knowledge
It added that the software “exposes minors to utterly improper replies relative to their degree of development and knowledge” because there was no method to confirm the users’ ages.
Due to the same worries, Bard, Google’s competing artificial intelligence chatbot, is currently only accessible to select persons above the age of 18.
OpenAI was given 20 days by the Italian data protection authorities to respond to the watchdog’s concerns or face a fine of up to €20 million ($21.7 million) or 4% of annual revenues.
As for the prohibition, the Irish Data Protection Commission told the BBC that it is coordinating with all EU data protection authorities and is following up with the Italian authority to understand the reasons behind their decision.
The UK’s independent data regulator, the Information Commissioner’s Office, told the BBC that it would “encourage” breakthroughs in AI but was also prepared to “fight non-compliance” with data protection regulations.
The restriction, according to Dan Morgan of cybersecurity rating service SecurityScorecard, highlights the significance of regulatory compliance for businesses doing business in Europe.
Compliance with rules is a need, not an extra, for businesses. “Businesses must priorities the protection of personal data and comply with the strict data protection regulations set by the EU.”
‘Not sufficiently regulated’
Following the filing of a complaint in the US, the consumer advocacy group BEUC urged EU and national authorities to look into ChatGPT and comparable chatbots, including data-protection watchdogs.
The BEUC is concerned that although though the EU is presently drafting the first AI law in the world, it would be years before it could go into effect, putting consumers at danger from a technology that is not appropriately regulated.
The BEUC’s deputy director general, Ursula Pachl, issued a warning that society was “today not sufficiently protected from the harm” that AI could inflict.
“Concerns about ChatGPT and related chatbots’ potential to deceive and manipulate people are becoming increasingly serious. Public authorities must regain control over these AI systems, and public scrutiny of them has to increase “She spoke.
Many nations, including China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia, have already blocked ChatGPT.
According to OpenAI, which spoke to the BBC, the Garante, the Italian data protection body, requested that ChatGPT be blocked for users in Italy:
“We are committed to safeguarding individuals’ privacy, and we believe that we abide by the GDPR and other privacy rules,” the statement read.
The organisation claimed that in order for ChatGPT and other AI systems to “learn about the world, not about private persons,” it worked to decrease the personal data used in training.
We also think that AI regulation is vital, so we’re looking forward to collaborating with the Garante and educating them about how our systems are developed and used, it continued. OpenAI expressed excitement about resuming ChatGPT availability in Italy “soon.”
