Meta Platforms has been hit with 11 complaints on Thursday regarding its plans to use personal data for training artificial intelligence (AI) models without user consent, potentially violating European Union (EU) privacy regulations.
The complaints, filed by the advocacy group NOYB (None of Your Business), call on national privacy watchdogs to immediately halt Meta’s proposed changes. The tech giant’s recent privacy policy adjustments, set to take effect on June 26, would enable the use of years’ worth of personal posts, private images, and online tracking data for AI technology development.
NOYB has previously targeted Meta and other major tech firms for alleged violations of the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which can impose fines up to 4% of a company’s total global turnover for non-compliance.
Meta argues that it has a legitimate interest in using users’ data to train and develop its generative AI models and other AI tools, which can also be shared with third parties. However, NOYB founder Max Schrems contends that Europe’s top court has already ruled against such practices.
“The European Court of Justice (CJEU) has already made it clear that Meta has no ‘legitimate interest’ to override users’ right to data protection when it comes to advertising,” Schrems stated. “Yet the company is trying to use the same arguments for the training of undefined ‘AI technology’. It seems that Meta is once again blatantly ignoring the judgements of the CJEU.”
Schrems criticized the complexity of opting out of Meta’s data usage policies, calling it “completely absurd” and arguing that the law mandates Meta to seek opt-in consent rather than providing a “hidden and misleading opt-out form.”
“If Meta wants to use your data, they have to ask for your permission. Instead, they made users beg to be excluded,” Schrems added.
NOYB has requested data protection authorities in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, and Spain to initiate an urgency procedure due to the imminent policy changes.
The outcome of these complaints could have significant implications for Meta and other tech companies operating in Europe, highlighting the ongoing tension between data privacy advocates and tech giants over the use of personal data in AI development.
