Authorities: "No Justification for Personal Data Collection"
"Will Face Heavy Fines if No Solution is Provided"
Italian authorities have temporarily blocked access to the AI chatbot ChatGPT, citing reasons such as personal data protection. This is the first such measure taken by a Western country. Previously, China, Hong Kong, Iran, Russia, and some African countries had banned the use of ChatGPT.
Local Italian media, including ANSA, reported on March 31 (local time) that "the Italian Data Protection Authority has decided to temporarily block access to ChatGPT until it meets Italy's personal data protection standards and regulations."
ChatGPT is an interactive AI chatbot developed by the US non-profit research institute OpenAI. Upon its release last year, it attracted global attention for its human-like communication capabilities. However, universities and some educational authorities banned its use after students used ChatGPT to complete assignments or cheat on exams. ChatGPT is unavailable in China, Hong Kong, Russia, Iran, and some parts of Africa.
Experts have also expressed concerns about the unclear sources and processing of data obtained by ChatGPT. OpenAI has not provided detailed information on how ChatGPT was trained.
The Italian Data Protection Authority pointed out that "there is no legal basis to justify ChatGPT's mass collection and storage of personal data for algorithm training purposes." It also added, "Since there is no way to verify the age of ChatGPT users, it may provide inappropriate responses to minors."
A spokesperson for the authority warned, "If ChatGPT does not block access for users based in Italy starting April 1, fines will be imposed," and added, "If OpenAI does not present a solution within 20 days, it will face fines of up to 4% of its global revenue."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
