According to sources, ChatGPT from OpenAI is restricted in Italy. The AI application, which is gaining traction across a wide range of industries, was banned on Friday by the Italian privacy authority, which cited privacy infractions.
Italian user data will no longer be processed for OpenAI, according to the national data protection authorities. Also, it declared that an investigation will be launched.
The failure of ChatGPT to verify the users’ ages is another charge made against it by the Italian authority. It is crucial to remember that the AI application is intended for users over the age of 13.
“You must be at least 13 years old to use the Services. If you are under 18 you must have your parent or legal guardian’s permission to use the Services. If you use the Services on behalf of another person or entity, you must have the authority to accept the Terms on their behalf,” as per ChatGPT’s terms of use which are mentioned on its website.
The charges made by the Italian regulator have not yet been clarified by OpenAI in response to this most recent development. The privacy watchdog stated that “the absence of any legal basis that justifies the massive collection and storage of personal data in order to ‘train’ the algorithms underlying the operation of the platform”.
According to a recent UBS survey, it is expected to have 100 million monthly active users in January. Given that the OpenAI chatbot was only introduced a few months ago, this is a tremendous accomplishment.
ChatGPT has become one of the fastest-growing consumer application
As a result, the AI app has become one of the most rapidly increasing consumer applications. Europol, the European Union’s law enforcement agency, issued a warning last week about the potential use of chatbots in phishing scams, misinformation campaigns, and cybercrime.
According to Politico, the block order is only in place in Italy until the ChatGPT complies with the General Data Protection Regulation, a landmark EU privacy rule (GDPR). Many countries can use ChatGPT; however, some governments may have a hard grip on things for regulatory reasons.
According to reports, Open AI has 20 days to provide details about how the AI app would comply with EU rules. According to Politico, if it fails to comply, it could face a penalty of up to 4% of its global revenue.