European Regulators Clamp Down on ChatGPT

Against the backdrop of the ChatGPT ban in Italy, a number of European regulators are considering blocking the chatbot in their countries. Reuters reports.

The German data protection and information commissioner Ulrich Kelber said that the government may suspend the tool’s operation. This would occur if authorities decide to check the chatbot’s compliance with the GDPR.

Regulators in France and Ireland said they are closely watching Italy’s investigation.

“We will coordinate our actions with all EU data protection authorities on this issue,” said a spokesperson for the Irish data protection commissioner.

Regulators in Spain said they had not received an official complaint about ChatGPT. Authorities could launch their own investigation in the future if such a need arises.

The UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) also issued a warning about the inadmissibility of using personal data to develop chatbots. The agency also voiced concerns about the quality of training datasets.

“There is really no justification for misinterpreting the privacy implications of generative AI. We will work hard to ensure that organisations understand this correctly,” said Stephen Almond, the ICO’s Director of Technology and Innovation.

In his post, he cited the Italian regulator’s decision and an open letter signed by more than 1,000 industry experts.

However, Sweden does not plan to ban the software and has not consulted the Italian Data Protection Authority GDPD for any guidance.

Legal experts say that pressure on ChatGPT could spill over to other chatbots such as Google Bard or Microsoft Bing.

“Unlike ChatGPT, Google is likely to have taken privacy into account because of its history in Europe and the size of the organisation,” said Desislava Savova, a partner at the law firm Clifford Chance.

In addition, regulatory actions were criticised by some European politicians. Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini called his regulator’s decision “excessive”. A spokesperson for the German government said there is no need for a ban on ChatGPT.

In March, the Italian regulator ordered to block ChatGPT for ‘illegal collection of personal data’.

In the same month, a technology-ethics group urged the U.S. Federal Trade Commission to conduct an investigation into OpenAI.