ROME, July 9 : Italy's data protection authority fined Character Technologies, the U.S.-based owner of generative AI platform Character.AI, €158,000 ($180,500) for breaches of data protection rules, it said on Thursday in a statement. The service allows users, including minors, to chat with AI-generated virtual characters.• The regulator found several privacy violations, including shortcomings in information provided to users about the processing of their personal data.• The authority also raised concerns about safeguards for minors and the effectiveness of age-verification procedures, saying further protections were needed beyond those already in place. • Character Technologies did not immediately respond to a request for comment.• The authority, known as Garante, also said the company wa