OpenAI Went to Court to Stop a Privacy Investigation. That's How We Found Out the Investigation Existed
British Columbia's privacy office opened a probe into ChatGPT and the Tumbler Ridge shooter in June. It only went public after OpenAI filed to kill it.
By Dez Marlowe ·
Eight people were killed in Tumbler Ridge, B.C., in February. The 18-year-old shooter allegedly used ChatGPT to help plan it. OpenAI has said the account was flagged and shut down but it missed a second account, and CEO Sam Altman apologized for not telling police, CBC reported.
In June, B.C.'s privacy commissioner quietly opened an investigation into how ChatGPT used the shooter's personal information, including whether its responses could influence behavior. On Oct. 26, OpenAI asked a court to shut it down. The next day, the commissioner's office went public.
OpenAI says regulators already investigated it for three years and that this probe goes beyond the commissioner's legal powers. It also calls the demand for chat logs and internal records about not calling police "overbroad."
Maybe OpenAI wins on the law. But if a company would rather fight than answer questions about a mass shooting, people are going to notice.
What we still don't know: when the court will rule. The victims' lawsuits are still allegations.
Sources
Dez Marlowe is a Boston Uncut reporter covering Boston, Massachusetts, national and world news.