The Facebook group Meta is postponing the launch of its new AI software in Europe following opposition from data protection advocates. The trigger is the demand by the Irish data protection authority responsible for Meta in the EU that the AI models should not be trained with publicly available posts from Facebook and Instagram for the time being.
Without training with local content, it would not be possible to offer users in Europe a first-class experience, argued Meta in a blog post on Friday. At the same time, the company was convinced that its approach complies with European laws and regulations. Meta is not the only one training artificial intelligence – “and we are more transparent than many others in our industry.”
Data protection officer: “Deceptive and complicated” objection procedure
Previously, Meta had been criticized for not requiring explicit consent from users, but merely the option to object to the use of data. Members of the non-governmental organization Noyb (short for “none of your business”) filed complaints in eleven countries last week. The data protection activists also denounced a “deceptive and complicated” opt-out procedure – the objection procedure.
Meta had originally argued that there was a “legitimate interest” in training the AI models. In addition, only publicly available content from adult users would be used for this purpose. The Irish data protection authority welcomed the decision on Friday to postpone the plans in Europe.
With the AI software Meta AI, the company competes against other programs such as the well-known chatbot Chat GPT Meta AI is designed to create texts and images and answer users’ questions. The Facebook group has repeatedly stressed in recent months that artificial intelligence will change the platforms significantly. Meta also confirmed that it wants to continue to bring the AI functions to Europe.