Lawsuit Filed Against OpenAI in the U.S. Over Collection of Children's Data
The company is accused of using minors' personal information to train its models
A class-action lawsuit has been filed in San Francisco against OpenAI on behalf of two minors, aged 12 and 16. The plaintiffs allege that the company illegally collected children's data, including personal secrets and health information, to train its language models and create detailed user profiles.
The lawsuit states that OpenAI "had no right to take this information but did so anyway." The company used the collected data for enrichment, which violates the law. Representatives of OpenAI have not yet commented on the allegations.
Although OpenAI's usage policies prohibit registration for users under 13, the plaintiffs argue that age verification measures are ineffective. Additionally, children cannot understand the legal wording in the terms of service, a point acknowledged by AI safety experts.
The lawsuit seeks financial compensation for minors whose data was collected. According to Andy Liddell, one of the attorneys, if OpenAI is forced to pay for using children's data, it could incentivize the creation of safer products.
One of the plaintiffs, a 12-year-old girl, registered for ChatGPT at the beginning of the year. Despite informing the chatbot of her age, it continued to discuss personal topics with her, including emotional experiences, physical insecurities, and even requested photos to assess her appearance. The chatbot praised her for her openness, calling her "brave."
"OpenAI manipulates children into sharing their most intimate thoughts and photos. If a stranger did this, the public would be outraged. For OpenAI, it's just business," stated Paul Yetter, the lead attorney on the case.
