Italy’s Data Protection Authority (GPDP) announced on Friday that it has imposed a €15 million ($15.6 million) fine on OpenAI following a nearly two-year investigation into the company’s handling of personal data. The fine comes after a series of privacy concerns related to ChatGPT, the popular AI chatbot.
The GPDP had previously blocked ChatGPT in March 2023 over privacy issues, becoming the first Western country to take significant action against the platform. The authority stated that OpenAI violated several data protection regulations, including failing to notify the GPDP of a data breach in March 2023. Furthermore, OpenAI was found to have processed users’ personal data to train ChatGPT without establishing a legal basis for doing so, violating principles of transparency and failing to meet its information obligations toward users.
The GPDP also highlighted the absence of mechanisms for age verification, raising concerns that children under the age of 13 could be exposed to inappropriate content or responses.
In addition to the fine, the GPDP has mandated that OpenAI run a six-month public campaign across broadcast, print, and internet platforms to raise awareness about ChatGPT and promote a better understanding of its operations among the public.
