OpenAI restores access to ChatGPT in Italy after ban

San Francisco: OpenAI has restored access to the ChatGPT service in Italy, after the country banned the AI chatbot in response to an order from the local data protection authority over user data concerns.

Microsoft-backed OpenAI had "addressed or clarified" the issues raised by the Italian Data Protection Authority (or GPDP) in late March, reports The Verge.

"ChatGPT is available again to our users in Italy. We are excited to welcome them back, and we remain dedicated to protecting their privacy," the company said in a statement.

EU users can submit a new form to remove personal data under Europe's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). A new tool will also verify users' ages upon signup in Italy.

Earlier this month, OpenAI blocked access to its AI chatbot ChatGPT in Italy.

"We regret to inform you that we have disabled ChatGPT for users in Italy at the request of the Italian Garante," OpenAI had said in a letter.

In the order, the Italian regulator Garante said it's concerned that the ChatGPT maker is breaching the EU GDPR, claiming that OpenAI has unlawfully processed the data of Italian citizens.

"There is no way ChatGPT can continue to process data in breach of privacy laws. The Italian SA has imposed an immediate temporary limitation on the processing of Italian users' data by OpenAI, the US-based company developing and managing the platform. An inquiry into the facts of the case was initiated as well," the regulator noted.

Moreover, the company also said to refund the amount to all users in Italy who purchased a ChatGPT Plus subscription in March.

OpenAI, late last month admitted that some users' payment information may have been exposed when it took ChatGPT offline owing to a bug.

The company took ChatGPT offline due to a bug in an open-source library which allowed some users to see titles from another active user's chat history, according to OpenAI.