Meta Accused in Europe for Using User Data in AI | Meta AI | Meta AI app | WhatsApp Business | Turtles AI

Meta is under fire for using European user data to train AI without explicit consent, prompting complaints from organizations like NOYB, which are threatening legal action. Authorities are being called upon to take action.

Key Points:

• Meta uses user data to train AI without explicit consent.
• NOYB has filed complaints in 11 European countries.
• Meta defends its practice, citing GDPR compliance.
• Authorities need to assess the validity of the pending lawsuits.

Meta Platforms is at the center of a growing controversy in Europe following its decision to use personal data from Facebook and Instagram users to train its generative AI models. Starting May 27, 2025, the company plans to use public content shared by European users to improve tools like its Meta AI assistant and LLaMA language model. Meta claims that the practice is justified by a “legitimate interest” under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), offering users the opportunity to object via an online form. However, Austrian digital rights organization NOYB, led by activist Max Schrems, disputes this interpretation, saying that the use of personal data to train AI requires explicit consent from users and that the opt-out process is deliberately complicated, constituting an example of a “dark pattern.”

NOYB has filed formal complaints in 11 European countries, including Italy, France, Germany and Spain, asking data protection authorities to take action before the new policy comes into force. The organization has also threatened a class action lawsuit, noting that with over 400 million European users potentially affected, the compensation claims could reach significant amounts.

Meta responded by saying that its practice complies with European regulations and that other tech giants, such as Google and OpenAI, use similar data to train their AI models. The company also said it will not use private messages or content from accounts of children under 18, and has sent more than two billion notifications to European users to inform them of the new policy and provide them with a form to opt out.

Despite this, criticism persists. The Norwegian Consumer Council has filed a legal complaint, arguing that Meta has no valid legal basis to process users’ personal data for AI training, and that making it difficult to opt out violates the legal requirements of the GDPR. Additionally, organizations such as Euroconsumers, through members Testachats in Belgium and OCU in Spain, have expressed similar concerns, saying Meta is breaking EU law and calling on the relevant authorities to take action.

The issue raises broader questions about the use of personal data to train AI and the need to ensure that big tech companies’ practices are transparent and compliant with privacy regulations.

As the implementation date for Meta’s new policy approaches, European regulators are under pressure to determine whether the company’s measures respect user rights and data protection laws.