IIn Italy you can now use ChatGPT again: around four weeks after the closure, the Italian data protection authority released the use of the voice bot again. The American operator of the language bot that works with artificial intelligence, Open AI, “guarantees users and non-users more transparency and more rights,” the authority said in Rome.
She had temporarily closed the service in Italy due to data protection concerns and the lack of protection for minors. However, the data protection authority intends to continue its investigation into ChatGPT’s practices.
Users all over Europe are now benefiting from the pressure that the Italian authorities have put on the American company: anyone who wants to use ChatGPT now will be asked beforehand whether they have reached the age of majority or are at least 13 years old and whether they have given their consent owned by parents or legal guardians. Only then can you continue clicking.
It is also asked whether you agree that personal data can be used for training and the further development of the algorithm. This form of data use by Open AI can be rejected “by means of a special form that can be filled out online and is easily accessible”, emphasizes the authority. The conversations between users and the chatbot could thus be excluded from being used for algorithm training. This right applies “to all people living in Europe, including non-users,” the Italian data protection officials report.
Have false information deleted
In addition, in the future there will be the option of having incorrect information deleted – but not in every situation. If you have problems, you should write to a specific e-mail address, Open AI says on its website. The company not only describes the form in which it processes user data, but also how the ChatGPT language model works.
Thereafter, its generated responses are based on a “prediction of the most likely next words”. This means that “in some cases the most probable next words are not the most factually correct words. For this reason, you should not rely on the factual accuracy of our information,” warns Open AI. The company adds that “due to the technical complexity of our models, we may not be able to correct inaccuracies.” In this case, the user should use a form to be filled out to request that personal data be completely removed from ChatGPT’s data.
Italy was the only country to block ChatGPT for privacy reasons. Other European authorities support the Italian authority’s arguments, but not the closure. Various investigations have also been initiated in other countries such as Spain or Canada. The Italian privacy advocates had reported that many users treated ChatGPT like a personal advisor, with whom they shared confidential information. Because of the rapid increase in usage, the authorities felt compelled to intervene.