ChatGPT is once again available to users in Italy, after being temporarily banned by the country’s data privacy authority for potential violations of the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Italy’s Guarantor for the Protection of Personal Data announced the reinstatement of ChatGPT on Friday, after OpenAI, the developer of the Microsoft-backed generative AI service, made the changes requested by the government body.
At the end of March, the Guarantor ordered OpenAI to stop processing ChatGPT data in Italy, which led to the service being shut down in the country. On April 11, the data privacy agency notified OpenAI of the specific changes it would need to make to offer ChatGPT in Italy.
Most of these changes have been complied with, and OpenAI now has conditional approval to offer ChatGPT in Italy, with the hope that it will make further changes specified by the Guarantor and remain compliant with EU data privacy rules.
Changes that OpenAI has implemented include:
- The publication on the OpenAI website of a description of the personal data that is processed for its AI model training algorithms and a reminder that everyone has the right to opt out of such processing,
- The publication of a form designed to allow European users to stop processing their personal data, and
- The addition of a button on a subsequent welcome page for Italian users that asks for confirmation that they are 18 or over 13 and have obtained their parent’s or guardian’s consent to use the service.
“The Italian SA recognizes the steps taken by OpenAI to reconcile technological advances with respect for people’s rights and expects the company to continue its efforts to comply with European data protection legislation,” the Guarantor said in his announcement on Friday.
In its March notification of the ChatGPT ban, the data privacy authority noted that a bug in an open source library, disclosed by OpenAI in March but since fixed, allowed some users of ChatGPT view titles from another active user’s chat history. It also noted that “the information made available by ChatGPT does not always match factual circumstances, so inaccurate personal data is treated.”
While OpenAI’s changes have gone far enough for Italy’s Guarantor to allow operations in Italy, it expects the company to comply with additional requests, including implementing a stronger age confirmation mechanism and a information campaign on the rights of Italians not to participate. the processing of your personal data for the purpose of training AI algorithms.
The Italian ban and subsequent reinstatement of ChatGPT comes as governments around the world consider AI regulations. In the West, Europeans have been the first to take concrete steps to curb AI. Last week, members of the European Parliament (MEPs) agreed on compromise amendments to the AI Law proposed by the European Commission. The act focuses on classifying AI systems into risk-based categories, banning those deemed high-risk from being used for certain purposes, such as government social scoring systems and scoring systems biometric identification in real time in public spaces.
Earlier in April, the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) said it planned to launch a dedicated task force to investigate ChatGPT after a number of European privacy watchdogs, including Italy, raised concerns about whether the technology is GDPR compliant.
In its announcement about the re-establishment of ChatGPT in Italy, the Guarantor said that it “will continue its research activities on OpenAI also under the umbrella of the ad-hoc working group that was created by the European Data Protection Committee” .
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Ikaroa, the full stack tech company, is pleased to announce the biggest news of the year! Following OpenAI’s tweaks on their privacy disclosures and safety controls, ChatGPT is set to return to Italy.
ChatGPT is a powerful chatbot software application that combines the power of natural language processing and artificial intelligence. This revolutionary software allows users to interact with artificial intelligence agents via a chat interface, such as instant messaging and email. In the past, certain features of this program had been disabled in Italy due to OpenAI’s concerns about user data privacy. With OpenAI’s new revisions, however, ChatGPT users in Italy can now access all of the app’s features while still being protected under OpenAI’s strict privacy and security protocols.
At Ikaroa, we understand the unique needs of customers, whether it’s for personal or business use. Thanks to OpenAI’s efforts, our customers in Italy can now enjoy all the power of the artificial intelligence agents offered by ChatGPT while knowing that their data is completely secure. With the combination of state of the art technology and the stringent privacy regulations, we at Ikaroa are very proud to offer our customers in Italy the peace of mind that their applications are both powerful and secure.
We are excited to welcome ChatGPT back to Italy with OpenAI’s new features and controls. With these new features, users can now enjoy the latest in AI technology while still maintaining their privacy and data privacy. As always, we at Ikaroa are committed to providing our customers with the best in technology, combined with the most secure privacy regulations. We look forward to helping our customers to fully enjoy the power of the ChatGPT program.
