The Italian Data Protection Authority has launched an inquiry to gather information about the widespread collection of personal data online, specifically for training artificial intelligence algorithms.
The watchdog stated earlier this week that the investigation seeks to assess whether online platforms are employing sufficient measures to prevent the extensive collection of personal data, commonly referred to as data scraping, for use in AI algorithms.
“Following the fact-finding investigation, the Authority reserves the right to take the necessary steps, also in an urgent matter,” the regulator said. However, the statement did not explicitly name any particular company.
The Southern European nation has invited academics, AI experts, and consumer groups to engage in this investigative process, urging them to contribute their insights or comments within a 60-day timeframe. Following the conclusion of the fact-finding investigation, the Authority reserves the right to take any necessary actions.
The Italian Data Protection Authority is notably one of the most proactive among the 31 national data protection authorities in Europe, especially in evaluating the compliance of AI platforms with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), an extensive data privacy framework. Earlier this year, it halted the operations of OpenAI’s ChatGPT in Italy over suspected breaches of privacy regulations.
Several other nations are also actively seeking avenues to regulate artificial intelligence. Taking the forefront in this endeavor, European legislators have formulated regulations with the goal of setting a global standard for a technology that has become essential to almost every industry and business.
Just recently, France, Germany, and Italy joined forces to produce a collective document detailing their consensus on regulating artificial intelligence. This collaboration is expected to expedite discussions on AI regulation at the European level.
The European Parliament also passed the AI Act, which introduced laws with substantial implications for developers of generative AI models, including Microsoft-backed OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Bard. This regulation marked one of the initial formal sets of rules for the technology on a global scale.
