Italian Data Protection Watchdog Temporarily Shuts Down OpenAI’s ChatGPT [Video]

What You Need To Know:

• Italian Data Protection Watchdog ordered ChatGPT to temporarily shut down due to alleged privacy violations and lack of age verification.
• ChatGPT had a “bug” that allowed users to see other users’ conversation history, including financial information.
• OpenAI faces a potential fine of 20 million euros ($21.8 million), which is 4% of its annual global revenue.

OpenAI’s artificial intelligence platform, ChatGPT, has been forced to shut down in Italy temporarily due to alleged privacy violations and a failure to ensure that users were above the age of 13.

The Italian Data Protection Watchdog is investigating a possible breach of the European Union’s strict privacy regulations. The organization has ordered ChatGPT to go offline while it conducts the investigation.

CEO of OpenAI, Sam Altman, recently revealed that there was a “bug” in an open-source library that allowed some users to see what other users had been asking the AI chat.

Altman acknowledged the issue on Twitter, stating that “we had a significant issue in ChatGPT due to a bug in an open-source library, for which a fix has now been released, and we have just finished validating.”

The bug caused a data breach that lasted for nine hours, revealing users’ conversations and financial information.

The Italian agency, known as Garante, has expressed concerns about the lack of age verification and the massive collection and processing of personal data to train algorithms that ChatGPT relies on.

Additionally, the organization raised concerns about the AI platform’s ability to distribute incorrect information. As a result, OpenAI may face a fine of 20 million euros ($21.8 million), which is 4% of its annual global revenue.

While some Italian politicians have criticized the decision to suspend the platform, citing its potential for technological advancement, others agree with the Italian Data Protection Watchdog’s decision.

Microsoft, which announced a multibillion-dollar investment in OpenAI in January 2023, has yet to comment on the situation.

Source: theblaze.com