2023.04.20
Privacy regulator checks ChatGPT's collection of Korean user data
By Park Jae-hyuk,
The Korea Times - Korea's top privacy regulator told representatives of U.S.
companies in Korea, Tuesday, that authorities here are assessing how data
pertaining to Korean users has been used for the development of ChatGPT, which
has attracted global attention.
The comments were
made by Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) Chairman Ko Hak-soo
during a meeting with members of the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea
(AMCHAM).
"We are not
conducting an investigation at this moment toward ChatGPT," Ko said.
"However, we are checking whether Korea's data has been used for ChatGPT's
AI model building and how the data has blended in."
Ko told reporters
last Friday that the government is communicating with OpenAI, the developer of
the artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot, which said the number of the
chatbot's users in Korea reached 2.2 million.
"We will
continue to communicate with the company so that we can check whether the data
of Korean citizens has been managed properly," he said at the press
conference last week.
In order to help
U.S. firms comply with Korea's privacy regulations, the PIPC chairman also
shared major changes that have been made to the Personal Information Protection
Act, during his meeting with AMCHAM members.
The revisions, which
will take effect in September, include the improvement of personal information
processing practices, the right to request the transfer of personal
information, adjustment of the upper limit of fines to 3 percent of a company's
total revenue, diversification of personal information transfer requirements
and strengthened protection measures, the introduction of new standards for
mobile video devices and alignment of online and offline regulations.
Ko also shared the
PIPC's major achievements since its establishment as an independent government
agency, including the imposition of a combined 100 billion won ($76 million)
fine on Google and Meta Platforms in 2022.
Last September, the privacy regulator slapped a 69.2 billion won fine on Google and a 30.8 billion won fine on Meta for their collection of personal information without users' consent and using it for customized online ads and other purposes. The two U.S. tech giants filed a lawsuit in February countering the fines.
Source: https://koreatimes.co.kr/www/tech/2023/04/133_349288.html?da