EU bans Meta AI training with user posts

EU bans Meta AI training with user posts

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17 June 2024

Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has reportedly halted plans to use user data from the EU and EEA to train AI technologies. Meta lost legal battles. They cannot use your data as much as they would want.

The Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC), Meta's EU regulator, approved the company's suspension on data processing for AI development following conversations about compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the EU's data privacy regulation. This step comes in response to Noyb's 11 complaints filed across the EU. It is a European digital rights organization that focuses on Meta's AI data practices.

Previously, Meta stated ambitions to introduce a variety of AI-powered capabilities in the EU. Include culturally and linguistically varied virtual assistants and image producers. However, the corporation claimed that training these systems on personal data from EU users was required. To guarantee that the services accurately represented the region's distinct demographics. Despite this rationale, EU data regulators were not convinced of Meta's legal foundation for such broad data processing.

Although Meta's decision to cease user data processing for AI development is a big move, worries still persist. Noyb has pointed out that Meta's privacy policy has yet to be formally amended to reflect this change, implying a possible contradiction between actual practice and official documentation. The organization has vowed to continuously monitor the situation, ensuring user pirvacy is genuinly protected.

Meta's legal challenges in the EU go beyond the current suspension. The corporation recently received a €3.5 million fine for fraudulent commercial activities in account creation and administration on Facebook and Instagram. This new development demonstrates the increased scrutiny of big digital corporations' data harvesting methods inside the European regulatory landscape.

The success of Meta's AI goals in the EU is dependent on its ability to handle the difficulties of data protection rules. Identifying alternate training approaches that comply with GDPR. Forging a road toward user consent for data processing will be critical for the company to move forward with its vision of AI-powered services in the region.

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