OpenAI was accused of violating the personal privacy of internet users and illegally obtaining personal data to train its ChatGPT and DALL-E models in a class-action lawsuit filed by Clarkson Law Firm in the Northern District of California.

The suit alleged (pdf) ChatGPT and DALL-E 'use stolen private information, including personally identifiable information, from hundreds of millions of internet users, including children of all ages, without their informed consent or knowledge.' 

It went on to argue that OpenAI 'did so in secret, and without registering as a data broker as it was required to do under applicable law.'

The suit was dropped in September 2023, though the plaintiffs were told they were able to refile it should they choose.