OpenAI's ChatGPT faces privacy complaint over inaccurate data handling

OpenAI privacy complaint: Microsoft-backed OpenAI, the creator behind generative AI chatbot ChatGPT, now faces scrutiny as it becomes the subject of a privacy complaint filed by advocacy group NOYB. The complaint alleges that OpenAI has failed to rectify incorrect information provided by ChatGPT, potentially breaching EU privacy regulations.

ChatGPT, hailed for spearheading the GenAI movement since its inception in late 2022, boasts the ability to simulate human conversation and undertake various tasks, including summarising lengthy texts, composing poetry, and brainstorming ideas for themed events.

NOYB asserts that a public figure, acting as the complainant in this case, sought information from ChatGPT regarding their birthday, only to receive consistently inaccurate responses. Instead of disclosing its inability to provide such data, ChatGPT persisted in furnishing incorrect information. Despite requests from the complainant, OpenAI purportedly declined to rectify or delete the erroneous data, citing technical constraints and failing to disclose pertinent information about the data processing, including its sources and recipients.

Consequently, NOYB has complained with the Austrian data protection authority, urging an investigation into OpenAI's data processing practices, particularly concerning the accuracy and transparency of personal data handled by its expansive language models.

According to Maartje de Graaf, a data protection lawyer at NOYB, the inability of companies to ensure compliance with EU regulations when processing individuals' data through chatbots like ChatGPT raises significant concerns. De Graaf stresses that technology must adhere to legal requirements rather than circumvent them.

OpenAI has previously acknowledged ChatGPT's tendency to provide responses that are "plausible-sounding but incorrect or nonsensical." Addressing this issue poses a formidable challenge for the company.

(With Reuters inputs.)