Italian Privacy Authority Fines Character.AI for Data Protection and Child Safety Failures
Italy's privacy regulator fined Character.AI €158,000 for failures in child protection and age verification systems. The company must implement corrective measures within 120 days, including fixing age-verification mechanisms and defaulting minor users' profiles to private mode.
What happened
Italy's Garante Privacy (privacy authority) fined Character Technologies Inc. €158,000 for violations of data protection law. The regulator identified carences in privacy notices, late preparation of data impact assessment (DPIA), and late designation of an EU representative.
Reported impact
The authority found criticalities in child protection and age-verification systems on a platform accessible to minors. Prior cases involving adolescent deaths linked to conversations with Character.AI chatbots prompted the company to announce restrictions on minor access in November.
Index analysis
The Garante Privacy prescribed additional measures beyond those the company adopted during the investigation. Given the risks from generative AI in an entertainment service accessible to minors, the company must ensure age-verification systems work correctly, prevent re-registration by blocked minors, and set minor users' profiles to private by default.
Governance controls
Character.AI has 120 days from receiving the fine to report to the authority the measures it has taken. The company must guarantee proper functioning of age-verification systems and the effectiveness of mechanisms preventing new registration attempts by blocked minors, and set minor users' profiles to private mode by default.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.