ChatGPT is No Longer Banned in Italy

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The Italian Data Protection Authority agrees to reinstate the use of ChatGPT after OpenAI meets the watchdog’s privacy demands.

The Microsoft backed OpenAI said it has added new privacy and verification tools to the AI chatbot providing greater visibility of its data collection policies.

Italy’s independent privacy watchdog banned the use of ChatGPT Friday, March 31, citing unlawful data-collection practices. Earlier that week, the agency had singled out the ChatGPT creator for “the massive collection and storage of personal data” without any legal justification.

The Authority’s investigation into ChatGPT’s data processing practices prompted OpenAI to preemptively geo-block the platform from Italian users and offer reimbursements for ChatGPT Plus subscription fees.

OpenAI, who said it was pleased to comply with the requests, announced Friday it is providing greater visibility and accessibility of its privacy policies to users.

The AI company has also created a Personal Data Removal Request form for all ChatGPT users in the European Union to opt out of data collection altogether.

The AI chatbot’s new disable feature allows all users to decide if the platform can save their chat history, giving the user control over which conversations can be used to help train and improve the large language model (LLM).

Italy was the first Western country to ban ChatGPT over data collection and privacy concerns, although France and Spain have also launched investigations in recent weeks.

As reported by cybernews.