ChatGPT could be blocked in Germany if necessary, warns data protection chief

Ulrich Kelber, the German data protection commissioner, acknowledged that in principle, Germany could take action similar to Italy’s and block Chat-GPT. He clarified that such a decision would fall under state jurisdiction, but did not mention any current plans to take such action.

Kelber revealed that Germany has asked Italy for more details regarding its temporary ban, which led OpenAI, backed by Microsoft (MSFT.O), to take ChatGPT offline in the country.

To recall, in the past few months, artificial intelligence (AI) has dominated the technology world, and a big credit goes to OpenAI’s chatbot ChatGPT, which has brought AI into the mainstream narrative. In fact, billionaire and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has called ChatGPT the most “revolutionary” technology in 40 years or so.

However, amid the growing popularity of ChatGPT worldwide, this AI tech has now faced a major setback. ChatGPT was banned in Italy on Friday. It is the first known instance when a government has blocked an artificial intelligence tool.

According to a report by the New York Times, Italy’s data protection authority has accused OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, of stealing the data of its users. Besides, the Italian authority has said that ChatGPT does not have an age-verification system in place to prevent minors from being exposed to illicit material.

With this, Italy has become the first country to ban ChatGPT over privacy concerns. Whereas in China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran, OpenAI has deliberately decided to remain inaccessible.

Following the ban, ChatGPT founder Sam Altman said Italy is one of his favourite countries and added, “We of course defer to the Italian government and have ceased offering ChatGPT in Italy (though we think we are following all privacy laws). Italy is one of my favorite countries and I look forward to visiting again soon!”

(With inputs from Reuters)