OpenAI introduces new functions to protect user data. But ChatGPT remains inaccessible in Italy

A step towards user privacy. And, in fact, a step also towards the Italian guarantor of privacy. OpenAI communicates an important novelty to its users: the possibility of hiding one’s conversations with ChatGPT.

By deactivating the Chat History, the function that allows you to store every question and answer on ChatGPT, the user will prevent OpenAI from collecting information to train its artificial intelligence: “When the chat history is disabled – reads the press release from the San Francisco company – we will keep new conversations for 30 days and we will examine them only when necessary to monitor any abuse, before deleting them permanently” .

The new feature, always accessible and editable from the ChatGPT settings, could in theory prevent users from running into data leaks such as the one that occurred on March 20th, when a platform bug stripped the conversations (as well as personal information and payment details of ChatGPT Plus) of many subscribers for a short period of time. “We are also working on a new ChatGPT Business subscription for professionals who need more control over their data” OpenAI also communicates. This profile will have Chat History disabled by default.

OpenAI’s commitment to protect user privacy will perhaps make the Italian Privacy Guarantor happy, which on March 31 had ordered the stop to the collection of data of Italian users by the company led by Sam Altman. The blockade had consequently led to the suspension of the service in Italy.

However, the new ChatGPT functions have not had an effect on the availability of generative AI in our country. The intelligent chat remains inaccessible to those who try to connect, even after the OpenAI press release.

In fact, several knots remain on the table to be resolved, so that the guarantor can unblock the service: on April 11, the Authority set its conditions, including “transparent information, which illustrates the methods and logic underlying the processing of data necessary for the functioning of ChatGPT”. This information must be shown “always before completing the registration and users must be asked to declare that they are of age”.

The guarantor also claims that OpenAI makes available to users “a tool through which ask for and obtain the correction of any personal data that concern them treated in an inaccurate way in the generation of contents or, if this proves impossible in the state of the art, the cancellation of their personal data”.