\n<\/p>\n
ChatGPT maker OpenAI has restored access to its service in Italy, saying it has implemented changes to satisfy Italian regulators. \u201cChatGPT is available again to our users in Italy,\u201d it said in a statement published by The<\/em> Associated Press<\/em><\/a> and also sent to The Verge. <\/em>\u201cWe are excited to welcome them back, and we remain dedicated to protecting their privacy.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n OpenAI said it had \u201caddressed or clarified\u201d the issues raised by the Italian Data Protection Authority (or GPDP) in late March. The GPDP accused ChatGPT of unlawfully collecting users\u2019 data and failing to prevent underage users from accessing inappropriate material, leading OpenAI to block ChatGPT<\/a> in the country. The company was given 20 days to address the issues, and regulators said in mid-April<\/a> that ChatGPT could return if it did so by April 30th.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Among the changes, OpenAI linked The Verge<\/em> to a new form<\/a> that EU users can submit to remove personal data under Europe\u2019s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). It also says that a new tool will verify users\u2019 ages upon signup in Italy, and it published a help center<\/a> article that outlines how OpenAI and ChatGPT collect personal information, including information about contacting its GDPR-mandated data protection officer.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The GPDP didn\u2019t immediately respond to a request for comment from The Verge<\/em>. In a statement published by AP<\/em>, it said <\/em>that it \u201cwelcomes the measures OpenAI implemented,\u201d and it urged OpenAI to comply with further age verification changes and a publicity campaign to inform Italians about their right to opt out of data gathering.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n So far, none of these changes seem to dramatically modify how ChatGPT operates in Italy. But OpenAI will almost certainly face further challenges. Spain, Canada, and other countries<\/a> have opened or considered opening investigations into its practices, including how it collects training data for its large language model and what information that model produces for users. And European lawmakers are advancing the AI Act, which could add additional requirements for companies like OpenAI \u2014 potentially involving some significant new information disclosures<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n