Complaints against Meta in 11 EU States over data use for AI

(ANSA) - ROME, JUN 7 - European privacy group NOYB has filed complaints in 11 European countries against Meta, asking authorities to launch an 'urgency procedure' to immediately halt the abuse of personal data by the social network giant to train artificial intelligence, the organization said in a statement on Thursday.
    The complaints followed a recent announcement by Meta, which informed European users that its privacy policy was changing starting on June 26.
    The organization said it has discovered that, through its new privacy policy, the US giant actually intends to use public and non-public user data gathered since 2007 for undefined "AI technology".
    According to NOYB, such a technology can ingest personal data from any source and share any information with undefined "third parties".
    The change, the organization noted, is particularly concerning as it involves the personal data of about four billion Meta users, which will be used for experimental technology essentially without limit.
    "This is clearly the opposite of GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) compliance", commented NOYB founder Max Schrems.
    Schrems pointed his finger against Meta because it "doesn't say what it will use the data for" and says "it can use any data from any source for any purpose and make it available to anyone in the world".
    With the complaints - presented to data protection authorities in Italy, Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland and Spain - the organization aims to block Meta's new privacy policy before it comes into effect at the end of June.
    Data protection authorities will now have to quickly decide whether to launch urgency procedures or a normal procedure, without issuing preliminary halts.
    NOYB said it expects to present in the coming days additional complaints in other EU member States. (ANSA).