Meta may have to hit the breaks on its big AI training plans
A European advocacy group, NOYB (None of Your Business), has filed complaints in 11 European countries regarding a new policy by Meta that would allow the scraping of user data for AI training purposes. Unlike American users, European users have the option to opt out of sharing their information.
Meta is currently striving to keep up in the competitive AI landscape. However, NOYB is pushing back, urging European countries to intervene and halt Meta's plans. The complaints were made over an impending policy change by Meta, which would enable the scraping of old user data from Facebook to train artificial-intelligence models.
The policy change, set to go live in late June, would impact approximately 400 million European users. NOYB expressed concern over the fact that users would need to manually opt out of providing data in the future, as Meta argues that it has a legitimate interest that overrides the fundamental right to data protection and privacy of European users.
GDPR Compliance
Europe has stringent data-privacy laws outlined in the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which came into effect in 2018 and has significantly influenced Big Tech's operations in Europe. NOYB lodged complaints in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, and Spain.
A Meta spokesperson stated that the company believes its approach complies with privacy laws and is in line with how other tech companies are enhancing their AI experiences in Europe. In the United States, Meta AI has had access to public user data and private chat conversations on its platforms, with no full opt-out option for users.
Meta is introducing a new "Communities" feature on Messenger, designed to facilitate communication for organizations, schools, and private groups. The company previously launched Communities on WhatsApp in 2022.
Artists have reacted against Meta's AI policies, leading to a surge in users for Cara, an anti-AI social platform. Cara's user base has grown significantly, positioning it at the top of the App Store charts.
AI Advancements and Concerns
During the Q3 2023 earnings call, Mark Zuckerberg discussed leveraging AI for business accounts on Meta platforms. The company has since announced AI-powered features for WhatsApp Business apps to enhance ad creation and customer message responses.
Noyb has also accused Microsoft of lacking transparency in collecting children's data for schools, leading to an investigation in the European Union. The AI Office, established under the EU's AI Act, is set to come into effect, showcasing the bloc's ambitions in AI oversight.
