Risk of ChatGPT personal data leaks to be monitored, Hong Kong’s privacy watchdog says in wake of Italy’s ban
- Public urged to read privacy policies, refrain from inputting sensitive information to such tools, but experts say ban unnecessary
- Italy last week became first Western country to ban ChatGPT while country’s data protection body investigates suspected breach of European privacy regulations
The Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data earlier this week said it had not received any complaints about data breaches relating to ChatGPT, but urged users to avoid disclosing personal information when using such apps.
“The [office] has been monitoring the development of generative AI-powered chatbots and the potential personal data privacy risks they pose to users,” it said in a reply to an inquiry by the Post.
“Users should also avoid disclosing their personal data with the AI chatbots, and, if the disclosure is necessary to fulfil the intended purpose, only disclose the minimum amount of personal data that is necessary to fulfil such purpose.
“They are also advised to download the AI chatbots apps from verified and trusted sources such as official app stores,” the office said.
ChatGPT quickly captured the world’s attention after it was launched by the American research laboratory OpenAI, which is also backed by Microsoft, last November.
