From Cointelegraph
April 15, 2025 1:33 am:

Tech giant Meta has received approval from the EU’s data regulator to train its AI models using publicly shared content on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger. The company aims to improve AI understanding of European communities’ nuances and complexities, excluding private messages and data from users under 18.

Last July, Meta delayed AI training plans after privacy complaints in 11 European countries, pausing the rollout until a review was conducted by the Irish Data Protection Commission (IDPC). Complaints alleged that Meta’s privacy policy changes would allow the use of personal posts, images, and online tracking data for AI training.

Meta has now obtained permission from the EU’s data protection regulator, the European Data Protection Commission, for its AI training approach, meeting legal obligations. The company continues to engage constructively with the IDPC and follows the training examples set by Google and OpenAI using data from European users.

An Irish data regulator initiated a cross-border investigation into Google Ireland Limited to determine compliance with EU data protection laws in developing AI models. Similar scrutiny faced by X led to halting the use of personal data from EU and EEA users to train the artificial intelligence chatbot Grok. The EU’s AI Act in August 2024 established a legal framework for technology with data quality, security, and privacy provisions.

Read more at Cointelegraph: Meta gets EU regulator nod to train AI with social media content