Access to the ChatGPT chatbot has been restored in Italy after its maker OpenAI "addressed or clarified" issues raised by Italy's data protection authority, an OpenAI spokesperson said on Friday.

Microsoft Corp-backed OpenAI took ChatGPT offline in Italy last month after the country's data protection authority, also known as Garante, temporarily banned the chatbot and launched a probe over the artificial intelligence application's suspected breach of privacy rules.

The company said will provide greater visibility of its privacy policy and user content opt-out form.

It will also provide a new form for European Union users to exercise their right to object to its use of personal data to train its models, a company spokesperson said.

As Garante had accused OpenAI of failing to check the age of ChatGPT's users who are supposed to be aged 13 or above, OpenAi said it will offer a tool to verify users' ages in Italy upon sign-up.

Reuters was able to confirm that ChatGPT has started working again in Italy.

Garante was not immediately available for comment.

  - Reuters