Pierre T.
OPENAI RESTARTS CHATGPT IN ITALY AFTER MAKING CHANGES TO ADDRESS DATA PROTECTION CONCERNS
OpenAI has resumed offering its ChatGPT service in Italy, following a regulatory suspension in one of the EU’s member states over concerns about compliance with data protection regulations. The service has been made available again after OpenAI announced a range of privacy controls for its generative AI chatbot. Users of the service must confirm they are 18 or over, or 13 with the consent of a parent or guardian, by clicking on a button stating “I meet OpenAI’s age requirements”. OpenAI has expanded its privacy policy and provided users and non-users with more information about the personal data being processed for training its algorithms, including the right to opt-out of such processing. Additionally, OpenAI has provided the mechanism for asking for data not to be used to train the AI and “mechanisms” to have data deleted. The Italian supervisory authority has continued its investigation of OpenAI’s compliance with data protection regulations.
ACCM’S NEW CODE OF CONDUCT FOR E-COMMERCE PLATFORMS AIMED AT CONSUMER PROTECTION
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has announced a new code of conduct for e-commerce platforms. The new code is aimed at protecting consumers by giving them more information about how these platforms operate. E-commerce companies are being encouraged to sign up to the code, which will require them to provide information on how they use consumer data, penalties for breaches, dispute resolution processes and unfair contract terms. The move is in response to concerns raised by the ACCC over the influence of platforms on consumer behaviour and the impact of their algorithms.
EUROPEAN COMMISSION PROPOSES REGULATION OF AI TO BOOST PUBLIC TRUST
The European Commission has proposed new legislation aimed at the ethical use of artificial intelligence (AI) across Europe. The measures set out in the proposal are designed to increase public trust in AI by ensuring transparency, fairness and safety in the technology’s development and deployment. The chief objectives of the proposal are the promotion of trustworthy and human-centric AI; the creation of a level playing field for businesses; and the provision of an environment in which innovation can flourish. The legislation is expected to include fines for non-compliance, the details of which will be set out at the next stage of the approval process.
AMAZON FACES LAWSUIT FOR RETALIATION AGAINST ACTIVIST EMPLOYEES
Amazon is being sued by two of its workers over allegations of retaliation against them for activism on behalf of employees, warehouse safety and support for Black Lives Matter. The workers claim that Amazon violated federal laws that protect employees’ rights to engage in concerted activity for their mutual aid or protection. They allege that Amazon targeted them for speaking out, in order to discourage other employees from doing so. Amazon has yet to comment on the lawsuit, which has been filed with the US National Labor Relations Board.
DEMONSTRATORS CALL FOR TWITTER TO BAN WHITE SUPREMACISTS
Activists are calling on Twitter to crack down on white supremacists and far-right groups on its platform. Demonstrators protested outside the firm’s headquarters in San Francisco, demanding that it ban extremist content. Protesters included families of people killed in acts that were allegedly motivated by far-right ideology. They say that Twitter has allowed far-right groups to spread propaganda, often without penalty. Twitter said that it had recently removed 150,000 accounts for violating its policies on hate speech, around half of which were related to white supremacy. The company has also said it will tackle disinformation in the build-up to Germany’s federal elections later this year.
