Italy - March 2023

The Italian Data Protection Authority (Garante) has temporarily blocked the AI ChatGPT program over data privacy concerns. Garante contested the absence of clear data protection policies, a legal basis justifying personal data collection and storage, and an age-verification system preventing minors from accessing illicit material.  The authority also added that on 20 March ChatGPT experienced a data breach of user conversations and payment information. OpenAI (the company behind ChatGPT) risks a fine of up to EUR 20 million or 4 per cent of its worldwide annual revenue if it does not communicate a plan to adjust ChatGPT to comply with EU data privacy regulations. Italy has become the first Western country to block ChatGPT, prompting other regulators in Europe to examine ChatGPT’s compliance with data privacy regulations.

Sources: Domani, Politico, The New York Times, Euronews

The Minister of the Interior has ordered Milan’s city council to cease registering the children of same-sex couples, and instead register those children as adopted. The procedure is lengthier and provides only limited parental rights. Despite the 2016 legalization of same-sex civil unions, Italy still lacks specific laws protecting same-sex parenting, and the legislative void has led to different interpretations of existing laws across the country. The government's order has sparked protests in Milan and condemnation from the EU parliament as it risks discriminating against children of LGBTQIA+ couples. On 14 March, the Senate's European Policies Committee rejected a proposed European regulation recognizing the rights of gay couples’ children and the adoption of a European certificate of filiation.

Sources: Euractiv, Corriere della Sera, Reuters, The Guardian