Meta Faces EU Backlash Over AI Data Use Without Consent

Meta Faces Criticism in EU Over AI Data Use Without Consent

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Meta, the parent company of Facebook, is facing criticism from the advocacy group NOYB (None of Your Business) for planning to use personal data to train its artificial intelligence (AI) models without obtaining user consent. NOYB has urged privacy regulators across Europe to stop Meta’s new policy, which is set to take effect on June 26.

NOYB argues that Meta’s recent changes to its privacy policy will allow the company to use years of personal posts, private images, and online tracking data for AI purposes without explicit consent from users. The advocacy group has filed 11 complaints against Meta and called on data protection authorities in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, and Spain to take urgent action.

Meta has dismissed NOYB’s criticism, stating that it uses publicly available and licensed information, as well as data shared publicly on its platforms, to train AI models. The company claims that its practices comply with privacy laws and are consistent with those of other tech companies like Google and OpenAI. Meta also noted that it may process information about non-users if they appear in images or are mentioned in posts shared by users.

A Meta spokesperson expressed confidence that the company’s approach aligns with privacy regulations and highlighted the industry’s common practices in AI development.

NOYB founder Max Schrems pointed out that the European Court of Justice (CJEU) had already ruled in 2021 that Meta cannot override users’ data protection rights for advertising purposes without explicit consent. Schrems argued that Meta is misapplying the same reasoning to justify using personal data for AI training, which he believes violates the court’s decision. He criticized Meta for making the opt-out process difficult and emphasized that the law requires opt-in consent for data use, not hidden opt-out options.

Meta has previously justified its data use for AI development by citing a legitimate interest, a stance that NOYB and other critics reject. Schrems insists that Meta must seek user permission directly rather than shifting the burden onto users to opt-out.

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