Categories: TechnologyWorld

Italy data protection agency opens ChatGPT probe on privacy concerns

Italy’s data protection agency said on Friday it had opened a probe into OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbot over a suspected breach of the artificial intelligence application’s data collection rules.

The agency also accused ChatGPT, which is financially supported by Microsoft, of failing to check the age of its users. The app is supposed to be reserved to people aged 13 and above.

The agency said in a note it had provisionally restricted chatbot’s use of Italian users’ personal data.

OpenAI did not immediately respond to an emailed request for a comment.

Since its release last year, ChatGPT has set off a tech craze, prompting rivals to launch similar products and companies to integrate it or similar technologies into their apps and products.

The Italian agency alleged “the absence of any legal basis that justifies the massive collection and storage of personal data in order to ‘train’ the algorithms underlying the operation of the platform”.

It is estimated to have reached 100 million monthly active users in January, just two months after launch, making it the fastest-growing consumer application in history, according to a UBS study published last month.

This week the European Union’s law enforcement agency Europol warned about the potential misuse of the chatbot in phishing attempts, disinformation and cybercrime, adding to a chorus of concerns ranging from legal to ethical issues.

Source : Reuters

GLOBAL BUSINESS AND FINANCE MAGAZINE

Recent Posts

The unequal burden of oil shocks: Labour markets and monetary policy

The war in Iran has sent oil prices sharply higher, reviving the question of who…

3 days ago

When private insurance buys faster access to public care

Supplemental private health insurance is becoming more common in universal healthcare systems as a way…

3 days ago

Pension funds, unlisted firms, and Europe’s Capital Markets Union

Europe's Capital Markets Union debate is again centred on how to turn savings into productive…

3 days ago

Increasing employment in pre-retirement years slows cognitive decline

Dementia affects an estimated 6 million Americans. This column uses data from the Health and…

3 days ago

The right balance: how to fix European Union artificial intelligence regulation

EU AI regulation should trade lower ex-ante burden for robust ex-post monitoring, judicial review and…

3 days ago

When oil is scarce and debt is binding: policy sequencing under a severe energy supply shock

With inflation still binding and fiscal space thin, the 2026 Iran shock revives the case…

3 days ago