Canada launches investigation into ChatGPT and personal data

On May 25, 2023, the privacy authorities of Canada, Quebec, British Columbia and Alberta launched a joint investigation into OpenAI. This company is the developer of ChatGPT, the famous conversational tool that has been trained on millions of freely accessible websites.

However, this training corpus could contain personal data used without consent or copyrighted works. The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada launched an initial investigation in April 2023, following a complaint accusing OpenAI of « collecting, using and disclosing personal information without consent« .

« Given that artificial intelligence is far-reaching, has significant privacy implications, and affects all Canadians, the four authorities have decided to jointly investigate this case, » reads a statement.

The four authorities will be looking into whether OpenAI :

• « has obtained valid consent for the collection, use, and disclosure of personal information of individuals located in Canada through ChatGPT » ;
• « has met its obligations in terms of transparency, access, accuracy of information, and accountability;
• « has collected, used or disclosed personal information for purposes that are acceptable, reasonable or legitimate in the circumstances, and whether such collection is limited to the information necessary for those purposes« .