Comment by glub
10 hours ago
> OpenAI is committed to ensuring that the benefits of AI are broadly accessible.
> We design mechanisms which avoid arbitrarily deciding who gets access for legitimate use and who doesn't. That means using clear, objective criteria and methods. [1]
So many nice-sounding words.
Two weeks ago OpenAI arbitrarily decided that anyone holding an ID from 44 countries where it sells ChatGPT, including mine, may be targeted by its models but may not defend with the same model. And you won't find a single announcement from OpenAI about this anywhere. Pick the wrong country, get "Unable to verify", no reason, no appeal. [2]
They revoked TAC from users who already had it, called it a technical issue, told everyone to re-verify, collected ID and face scans again (eight times in my case), and only a week later moved the block to the country selector so it fails before you upload anything.
So now I learn that I will not have access to Astra. Great.
Very excited about this broad accessibility and clear, objective criteria from OpenAI. This level of transparency must be studied.
[1] https://openai.com/index/scaling-trusted-access-for-cyber-de...
[2] https://lubaretsi.com/en/writing/openai-tac-country-gate/
> That means using clear, objective criteria and methods.
For the record, I sent them an LGPD (brazilian GDPR) request for information on all of those supposedly objective criteria and methods they used to reject me from TAC. As a brazilian data subject, it is my right to know that, and to request a review if the decision was made via automated means. Sol itself guided me through this process.
They provided me with neither the information nor the requested review. Sol advised me to escalate to regulatory action.
I've exhausted all possible avenues to get any response from OpenAI on this. Emailed them, published research that took me 2 nights to get together (saw media pick it up too), I've asked every relevant OpenAI person on X to say something, anything, saw others from Moldova also do the same.
Crickets. They appear to simply not care at all.
Is there any reason why OpenAI should care? If they don't want your business then someone in your country can build a competing model.
7 replies →
This whole thing sounds so “pick me” desperate that it makes me sad.
I'd rather sound desperate than be someone who noticed a shadow criterion quietly widening the already wide gap in access to frontier intelligence, and did nothing about it.
Don't worry about me, I'm fortunate enough that this won't affect me. I'd suggest asking yourself why someone raising it on behalf of a whole country read to you as "pick me."