April 11, 2023
Canada’s Privacy Commissioner, Philippe Dufresne, is investigating OpenAI, the operator of ChatGPT, for possible unauthorized use of personal information.
The investigation comes after Italy’s data protection authority, Garante, temporarily banned the use of ChatGPT’s online version and accused OpenAI of failing to verify the age of its users and the absence of a legal basis justifying the massive collection and storage of personal data. OpenAI geofenced access to ChatGPT from users in Italy in response to the ban.
Dufresne says the investigation is part of his Office’s priority to keep up with, and stay ahead of, fast-moving technological advances, and is a key focus area for the Commissioner. The statement did not reveal who or what organization filed the complaint, and as the investigation is ongoing, Dufresne’s office has declined to answer questions.
Privacy regulators in France and Ireland have reached out to their counterparts in Italy to learn more about the basis for the ban. The German commissioner for data protection has also expressed concerns and may follow Italy in blocking ChatGPT over data security issues.
After OpenAI launched ChatGPT last November, there were concerns over its capabilities, and last week, big names in technology such as Elon Musk and Steve Wozniak called for a six-month ban on the development of generative AI systems until questions have been answered about their ability to create disinformation and take away jobs.
OpenAI had to take ChatGPT offline last month after reports of a bug in an open-source library that allowed some users to see titles from another active user’s chat history. The company also acknowledged that the first message of a newly created conversation was visible in someone else’s chat history if both users were active around the same time.
The sources for this piece include an article in ChannelDailyNews.
