ChatGPT Faces Privacy Complaint over Inaccurate Personal Information in Austria
NOYB, a Vienna-based privacy campaign group, announced on Monday that they plan to file a complaint against ChatGPT in Austria. The group claims that the flagship AI tool, known for providing hallucinating answers, invents incorrect responses that even its creator OpenAI cannot correct. The campaign group expressed concerns that there is no way to guarantee the accuracy of the information generated by the program.
Despite this acknowledgment, OpenAI has not provided clarity on the source of the data or what information ChatGPT stores about individuals. NOYB argued that inaccuracies in the data produced by ChatGPT are unacceptable, especially when it comes to personal information. EU law mandates that personal data must be accurate, and if a system cannot consistently produce reliable and transparent results, it should not be used to generate data about individuals.
The incident where ChatGPT provided incorrect information about Max Schrems’s birthdate highlights this issue. Schrems is a founder of NOYB and has been an advocate for strong privacy laws in Europe. Despite his request for clarification and correction, OpenAI reportedly refused to remove or correct the inaccurate data.
NOYB’s lawyer Maartje de Graaf emphasized the importance of technology complying with legal requirements. She pointed out that ChatGPT’s failure to comply with EU laws violates legal rights and undermines trust in AI systems.
Since its introduction in November 2022, ChatGPT has garnered attention for its impressive capabilities in generating text quickly. However, concerns and criticisms surrounding the technology have led to legal actions in various countries. Italy temporarily blocked the program in March 2023, while France initiated an investigation following complaints. In response to these issues, a European working group has been established to enhance coordination on AI regulation.
Despite these efforts by authorities, organizations like NOYB remain skeptical about their effectiveness in regulating AI systems fully.
The campaign group highlighted an incident where ChatGPT provided incorrect information about Max Schrems instead of informing users that it lacked necessary data. OpenAI reportedly refused to correct or remove the inaccurate data despite his request for clarification and correction.
As a result of this incident, NOYB filed a complaint against OpenAI arguing that ChatGPT generates unreliable personal information which is unacceptable under EU law mandating accurate personal data. The European working group aims at enhancing coordination on AI regulation but organizations like NOYB are still skeptical about their effectiveness
