InfoSecBulletin Cybersecurity for mankind
On Thursday, the European Data Protection Board (EDPB)announced that it had established a task force on ChatGPT, a potentially significant first step towards a uniform policy on setting privacy regulations for artificial intelligence.
“The EDPB decided to launch a dedicated task force to foster cooperation and to exchange information on possible enforcement actions conducted by data protection authorities,” EDPB said.
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) must be applied consistently. The EDPB, an autonomous agency inside the European Union, was created to foster collaboration among the region’s data protection agencies.
ChatGPT, an AI program that drew public attention for its ability to write quick responses to a variety of queries, has grown to be the fastest-growing consumer application in history, with more than 100 million monthly active users, while raising concerns about the risks it may pose to safety, privacy, and jobs.
Italy Blocks ChatGPT
Before March 31, ChatGPT’s operations in Italy were to be suspended due to concerns that the company did not adhere to the (GDPR). Until then, privacy had not been a major worry for the company.
Italian officials reported the parent firm of ChatGPT, OpenAI LP, as processing the personal data of Italian residents on a massive scale without foundation in law, which disturbed them.
The regulator raised concerns that citizens may be put at risk because ChatGPT was trained to use private information about them, like phone numbers and addresses.
The Italian regulator also expressed concerns about “hallucinations” in ChatGPT. The model is prone to making up fake but otherwise realistic-sounding stories about persons whose information was gathered from the internet without an actual answer.
Italy’s decision to lift the ban was conditional on OpenAI agreeing to apply regulations protecting users’ privacy by April 30.
The EDPB said in today’s statement that its members had “discussed the recent enforcement action undertaken by the Italian data protection authority against Open AI about the Chat GPT service” before deciding to launch a dedicated task force to “foster cooperation and to exchange information on possible enforcement actions conducted by data protection authorities.”
According to a source at one national watchdog, member states hoped to unify their policy positions, but it would take time. Member states are said to be pursuing broad regulations that are “transparent” rather than punishing or making laws that will harm ChatGPT.
