On April 11th, Spain’s data protection agency requested that the European Union’s privacy watchdog evaluate privacy concerns regarding OpenAI’s ChatGPT. This request came amidst increased global scrutiny of artificial intelligence (AI) systems.
France’s privacy watchdog CNIL has also announced that it is investigating complaints about ChatGPT, while Italy’s data regulator is reviewing measures proposed by Microsoft Corp-backed OpenAI in response to concerns that led the Italian DPA to order OpenAI to stop processing people’s data locally with immediate effect. In turn, OpenAI started geo-blocking access to its generative AI chatbot, ChatGPT, in Italy.
The Biden administration is also seeking public comments on potential accountability measures for AI systems, as questions arise about their impact on national security and education.
A spokesperson for Spain’s DPA stated that,
“global processing operations that may have a significant impact on the rights of individuals require coordinated decisions at European level.”
Therefore, the agency has requested that the issue of ChatGPT be included in the next Plenary of the European Data Protection Committee, so that harmonized actions can be implemented within the framework of the General Data Protection Regulation.
The Plenary meeting of the European Data Protection Board (EDBP) was scheduled for April 13th, but it is unclear whether ChatGPT was discussed at this meeting.
The EDPB stated that it is generally not involved in national-level investigations, which are the responsibility of national data protection authorities.
However, the Italian regulator’s decision has sparked the interest of other privacy regulators in Europe, who are studying whether harsher measures are necessary for chatbots and whether to coordinate such actions.
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