Why has Italy banned ChatGPT? Details explored as Italy takes a stand against AI privacy concerns

Italy has become the first country to ban the advanced AI ChatGPT, as the Italian data-protection authorities claimed that there were many privacy reasons due to the model. Authorities claimed that the Californian company that owns the advanced chatbot unlawfully collects personal data. Moreover, it does not have an age-verification system that can prevent underage users from explicit content.

While ChatGPT has left the world stunned with its capabilities and has become the current hot trend, the Italian government seems skeptical about the natural language processing tool as it has raised concerns and has spread misinformation many times.

Due to the same, OpenAI has now been instructed by regulators in Italy to restrict access to ChatGPT for internet users in the country until the company furnishes additional information. OpenAI has been granted a 20-day window to supply the agency with the necessary data and potential solutions before a conclusive verdict can be reached regarding the product's status in the region.

Meanwhile, ChatGPT is unavailable in China, North Korea, Russia, and Iran, as OpenAI has decided not to function in these countries.

---

Italian regulators stated that ChatGPT could be fined up to 20 million euros if OpenAI is not able to furnish solutions to potential problems

As OpenAI’s chatbot ChatGPT has been blocked in Italy due to privacy concerns, the Italian DPA claimed that the program failed to ensure that inappropriate content was hidden from underage individuals. During the press release, the authorities stated:

“ChatGPT has no legal basis underpinning the massive collection and processing of personal data in order to 'train' the algorithms on which the platform relies."

For the same reason, Italian authorities have issued a notice to OpenAI, asking the company to come up with possible solutions to the problem. However, if the company is unable to furnish the same, they could be fined up to 20 million euros, which is $21.68 million, or 4% of their global revenue, or whichever is higher of both.

Responding to the issue, OpenAI claimed that it has already disabled the AI model in Italy and is working to protect the users’ privacy. The company said:

“We actively work to reduce personal data in training our A.I. systems like ChatGPT because we want our A.I. to learn about the world, not about private individuals. We also believe that A.I. regulation is necessary.”

On the other hand, using a VPN and setting the location to a non-Italian IP address can be a simple solution for those who are keen to use the AI model. However, in the event that an account was initially established in Italy, it may currently be inaccessible. To bypass the block, individuals who wish to continue utilizing the service may be required to create a fresh account utilizing an IP address that is not associated with Italy.

Millions of global users are using the advanced chatbot as it has an exceptional ability to draft essays and engage in humanlike chats. It can also solve plenty of technical queries and give an user the answer to most of the things asked in seconds.