DE Online Desk:
Meta Platforms announced Monday that it will begin using public posts and user interactions with its AI features to train its artificial intelligence models across the European Union.
The move follows Meta’s recent roll-out of its AI tools in Europe, which had originally been scheduled for June 2024 but was delayed due to privacy and data protection concerns raised by regulators.
While Meta AI has been available in the United States since 2023, its expansion into the EU has been more complex, navigating the bloc’s strict rules around user consent, data usage, and transparency.
Starting this week, users of Meta-owned platforms—including Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp—will begin receiving notifications detailing what types of data may be used for AI training.
These include public posts, comments, and prompts submitted to Meta AI.
The company said private messages and content from users under 18 will not be included.
EU users will also be given the option to opt out via a form linked in the notification.
Meta had paused its original launch plans last year after the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC)—Meta’s lead EU regulator—intervened.
Privacy group NOYB also filed complaints, urging national watchdogs to block Meta from using public social media content for AI development
.As scrutiny around AI intensifies, other tech giants have also come under regulatory fire.
Elon Musk’s platform X is being investigated over its use of EU user data to train its AI chatbot, Grok.
Meanwhile, the DPC launched a separate probe into Alphabet’s Google last September to assess whether the company sufficiently protected user data before applying it in AI development.
The European Commission has not yet commented on Meta’s latest announcement.