Meta had relied on a GDPR provision called “legitimate interest” to argue that its actions were compliant with regulations. However, the company's method of informing users about the changes and the process for users to object to their data being used were criticized for being unclear and difficult to navigate. Despite the setback, Meta maintains that its approach complies with European laws and regulations.
Key takeaways:
- Meta has paused its plans to train its AI systems using data from its users in the EU and U.K. following pushback from the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) and the U.K.’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
- The company had planned to use public content on Facebook and Instagram to train its AI, arguing that it needed to do this to reflect the diverse languages, geography and cultural references of the people in Europe.
- Privacy activist organization NOYB filed 11 complaints with constituent EU countries, arguing that Meta is contravening various facets of GDPR, particularly the issue of opt-in versus opt-out for personal data processing.
- Meta's process for users to object to their data being used was criticized for being complex and not straightforward, requiring users to complete an objection form and justify their reasons for opting out.