The Italian Data Protection Authority (GPDP) temporarily blocked ChatGPT in Italy in March 2023 over privacy concerns, becoming the first Western country to take action against the popular artificial intelligence chatbot.
"The data protection authority imposed a €15 million fine on OpenAI, which was calculated taking into account the company's attitude towards cooperation," he said.
The authority said that OpenAI "failed to notify the authority of the data breach it suffered in March 2023, processed users' personal data for ChatGPT training without first establishing an appropriate legal basis, and breached the principle of transparency and related obligations to inform users."
In addition, OpenAI "has not provided age verification mechanisms, which could lead to the risk of exposing children under 13 to inappropriate responses," it added.
In addition to the fine, the authority said it had ordered OpenAI to run a six-month radio, print and web campaign to promote public understanding of ChatGPT. | BGNES