Chat GPT Blocked Italy. Here’s How You Can Regain Access

It wasn’t another April Fools’ Day joke – on April 1, 2023 ChatGPT was officially banned in Italy by the Italian data protection authority. The official reason is the OpenAI service’s potential violation of privacy laws related to processing personal data. This news was a bolt of lightning to the minds of millions of users because the popularity of this chatbot is at its boom at the moment. Still, as an Italian citizen, temporary resident, or even a tourist, you will not have access to ChatGPT in this country anymore. What is the exact cause of the ChatGPT ban in Italy and most importantly, is it still possible to use it? Read on to find out the answers.

Why was ChatGPT banned in Italy?

As mentioned, ChatGPT was disabled for Italian users by the Italian Garante – a local authority responsible for the country’s data protection laws. Soon afterward, they introduced a statement reasoning this decision. All in all, it consists of four main points:

1. ChatGPT may violate privacy laws. The Garante announced an investigation in this regard. In particular, they suspect that OpenAI’s solution breaks the most significant online privacy law of the European Union – the general data protection regulation (GDPR). The thing is that ChatGPT potentially uses people’s personal information to train its latest version – GPT-4 – through machine learning processes without informing users about it. As a result, it possibly breaks one of the main GDPR principles stating that online services should be transparent about how they collect and adopt customer data and clearly state the legal basis for doing so.
2. ChatGPT doesn’t protect minors from potentially inappropriate content. According to The Garante, the service fails to ensure online safety for children as it lacks a proper age verification system. By the way, due to the same concerns, Google recently limited the use of Bard, another popular AI chatbot.
3. ChatGPT isn’t accurate and may occasionally produce absolutely unsuitable answers. Though it’s not news, the Italian authority is also concerned about the lack of accuracy in chatbot’s answers. The potential risks here are obvious – people rely heavily on data provided by ChatGPT, which may result in making critical mistakes. After all, even the creators of the tool warned users that the algorithms underlying the chatbot shouldn’t be fully relied on for really important matters.
4. ChatGPT experienced a data breach. The latest press release of the Italian Authority sheds a bit more light on this tangled story. According to this report, the main reason for the ban was a breach that occurred on March 20 and resulted in leaked payment information (which was then confirmed by OpenAI).

Indeed, ChatGPT poses certain risks related to Internet privacy and security. To learn more, read our recent article on this topic. Still, the decision of the Italian government was striking – Italy is the first Western country that has banned ChatGPT.  

The new regulations came in force. ChatGPT is currently geo-blocked in Italy, therefore, when you try to use it in this country, you will get the following message:

The OpenAI support team has already guaranteed the Italian customers who has already bought the premium version of ChatGPT a refund. It also asserts that ChatGPT does not violate GDPR and other privacy regulations. Meanwhile, Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI was even shorter. He wrote on Twitter that the service adheres to all privacy regulations (and that he is an Italian lover).

However, the users’ reaction was less restrained. 

What do users say after ChatGPT got banned in Italy?

ChatGPT has become a skyrocketing hit after its launch in November last year (over 1 million users in five days!) And it is not unexpected because this innovative chatbot has already demonstrated itself to be a useful and effective tool in a range of applications. Specifically, individuals may request ChatGPT to compose marketing, social media, product specifications, blog articles, and numerous others. Moreover, the chatbot can write codes and debug them, and developers are already exploring it to make some tasks easier.

That said, it’s obvious why users in Italy were quite disappointed about the unexpected ban. 

Some already proposed to fight for their freedoms and run a petition.

Others complain that the inability to access ChatGPT prevents them from doing important research and completing critical work tasks.

Meanwhile, some privacy-conscious users are even happy that big corporations have to deal with consequences if they mistreat customer privacy.

Finally, some always find room for jokes.

Besides, it’s worth noting that the Italian ban may appear to be just the tip of the iceberg. Some experts believe the same limitations could soon be applied in other European countries, since GDPR is valid throughout the European Union. 

Okay, it’s time to find out whether we should expect ChatGPT to soon be blocked in more countries, and where it’s already inaccessible. 

Other countries where OpenAI services are not available

Immediately after the launch, ChatGPT became available in most parts of the world. However, it can’t be used in several countries with limited Internet freedom, including the following ones: 

• China 
• Egypt 
• Iran 
• Russia 
• Belarus 
• Venezuela 
• Afghanistan
• North Korea

The service was also initially unavailable in Ukraine, but the country gained access to OpenAi in February 2023.

However, shortly after the Italian government initiated the investigation of the privacy issues surrounding ChatGPT, a lot of people began to discuss the possibility of the ban in other nations. Specifically, in one of the recent interviews with the Handelsblatt newspaper, one of the data protection commissioners threatened that such restrictions could occur in Germany. However, it needs to be said that he did not make any specific reference to any plans or dates in this respect.

That being said, as you know why ChatGPT is no longer available in Italy (and why the same is likely to occur to other nations in the near future), it is time to discover whether anything can be done about these blocks.

How to regain access to ChatGPT in Italy

As mentioned above, ChatGPT has been geo-blocked in Italy. But how does this limitation work? Simply put, the OpenAI website can spot your current location through your IP address. As a result, if you’re traveling to Italy (or another country where ChatGPT isn’t working), you will see the following message: “OpenAI services are not available in your country.”

Luckily, there are several ways to get around geographical limitations – you can read our recent blog post on this topic to learn more. But in general, the most efficient method is using a VPN for ChatGPT. Such a tool alters your IP with an address of the chosen VPN server in another location. In this manner, the websites or services that you access are not able to tell where exactly you are. In addition to that, a VPN secures your information by using encrypting your data end to end. It implies that no one, be it your Internet service provider (ISP), or the online services you are availing can spy on you.

At this point, imagine you are out on vacation in Italy and you want to use ChatGPT. The following is how to do it without any hassles using a VPN.

How to use a VPN to access ChatGPT

1. Select a credible VPN service provider. It is necessary to note that the free VPNs are not always reliable because they do not have the necessary functionality and can even harm your privacy. That is why it is better to choose a well-known service such as VeePN with an open No Logs policy.

2. Sign up for VeePN. You can pick a pricing plan that suits your needs best. Moreover, a single VeePN subscription covers up to 10 devices simultaneously. 

3. Download and install the VeePN app. It’s simple – just choose the solution for your device and get it from the official website. VeePN is available for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, and more. 

4. Open the app and choose the preferred server. VeePN provides access to over 2,500 servers across 89 locations in 60 countries. 

5. Enter the OpenAI website. Log in to your existing account or create a new one. Next, head to Product > ChatGPT.

6. You’re all set! ChatGPT should be up and running again – ask it whatever you like. 

It should be noted that VeePN is the VPN service that is not supposed to be used in the process of engaging in any illegal activities. Do not forget to inquire whether there are some limitations in your own country before committing any action that may be doubtful. Please be informed that if some action is illegal without using a VPN, it will also be illegal with its use.

How to troubleshoot VPN connection

If you’ve faced any trouble accessing ChatGPT with a VPN, don’t give up. Here is what you can do to fine-tune your VPN connection. 

1. Clear your browsing history, cookies, and other data.
2. Open your VeePN app and pick another VPN server.
3. Change your VPN protocol (OpenVPN and IKEv2/IPsec are the most efficient solutions against geoblocking).
4. Return to the OpenAI website and try using ChatGPT once again. 

Need to access ChatGPT or any other geo-limited content while keeping your browsing activities private and secure? Try VeePN! It’s a top-rated VPN service with multiple handy features and an extensive network of servers worldwide. Download VeePN today and safeguard yourself with a 30-day money-back guarantee!

Written by VeePN Research Lab VeePN Research Lab is dedicated to provide you latest posts about internet security and privacy.

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