Is Meta’s AI Use of User Data Legal? European Privacy Activists Urge Immediate Action

In recent news, the European Center for Digital Rights (NOYB) has criticized Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, for its plan to use users’ personal data to train artificial intelligence without explicit consent. NOYB urged European privacy authorities to take urgent action against Meta’s new privacy policy, which will allow the company to use personal posts, private images, and tracking data for AI development.

In response to the criticism, NOYB filed 11 complaints in several European countries, including Austria, Germany, and Poland, calling for immediate action by data protection authorities. However, Meta defended its practices by stating that they are compliant with privacy laws and aligned with other technology companies’ approaches to developing AI in Europe. The company claimed that it follows existing privacy laws and practices similar to those followed by tech giants like Google and OpenAI.

Max Schrems, founder of NOYB, criticized Meta’s position by citing a 2021 ruling from the Court of Justice of the European Union that rejected Meta’s argument to override users’ data protection rights in advertising. To oppose the use of their personal data for training Meta’s AI, users must search for an email from Meta titled “We are updating our Privacy Policy as we expand Meta AI” for both Facebook and Instagram. By clicking on the “right to object” link in the email or accessing the app or browser version of Facebook or Instagram, users can complete a form to object to the processing of their personal data for AI training. The objection must be submitted by June 26, 2024 and is not retroactive to previously collected data shared on Meta’s platforms.

Despite assurances from Meta that it does not intend to use information contained in private WhatsApp and Messenger chats for training its AI at this time