Italy blocks ChatGPT activity in the territory

According to the watchdog, the decision to block ChatGPT will be “immediately effective”, which will lead to “temporarily restricting OpenAI’s use of user personal data” in Italy. The agency also announced that it had opened an investigation into ChatGPT over the above allegations.

ChatGPT has created a “technology craze”, after being launched in November 2022. This app can give answers to tough questions, code, compose poems or write essays, and can even help students pass difficult exams. Reports by multinational investment bank UBS show that as of January 2023, ChatGPT had about 100 million regular users, making it the fastest growing app in history.

However, these outstanding capabilities of ChatGPT are also controversial in the public opinion when teachers are concerned that students will use this application to cheat when taking exams, while planners are concerned that students will use the application to cheat when taking exams. policy concerns the risk of spreading misinformation.

On March 20, the Italian Data Protection Agency announced that ChatGPT had encountered a problem, leading to the leak of data related to users’ chats and payment information.

According to the agency, there is no legal basis to justify ” the mass collection and storage of personal data for the purpose of ‘training’ the algorithms that build the foundation for the platform to operate.” “.

The agency also emphasized that because ChatGPT does not yet have a means of verifying a user’s age, minor users may “receive answers that are completely inappropriate to the level of physical and cognitive development” of children. The app was previously thought to be exclusive to people 13 years of age and older.

Open AI will have 20 days to come up with measures to address the watchdog’s concerns, and face a financial fine of 20 million euros ($21.7 million) or up to 4% of its annual revenue. year.

Italy’s blockade of ChatGPT’s activities in the country comes a few days after the European police agency Europol warned that criminals could use the application to commit fraud and other acts. other crimes, such as installing malware.