Meta announced that it will resume AI training using publicly shared data by May 2025.
The privacy watchdog noyb has warned Meta’s Irish division over data use in AI models without explicit user consent.
According to The Hacker News, Meta’s plans to utilise data from Facebook and Instagram users across the European Union for AI model training without explicit user consent will see it face legal action.
The dispute follows Meta's announcement that it will resume AI training using publicly shared data by May 2025, after a prior pause prompted by data protection concerns.
The nonprofit issued a cease-and-desist letter, accusing the company of violating GDPR and challenging Meta's intent to rely on a "legitimate interest" legal basis instead of an opt-in system.
Noyb's Max Schrems criticised Meta's stance as "neither legal nor necessary," arguing that other AI firms build superior models without harvesting social media data. He added that Meta is risking legal backlash by making opting out difficult and bypassing user consent.
In response, Meta insists it offers a clear objection path and complies with EU law. The case renews scrutiny of how tech giants interpret GDPR provisions when deploying AI technologies.
Written by
Dan Raywood is a B2B journalist with 25 years of experience, including covering cybersecurity for the past 17 years. He has extensively covered topics from Advanced Persistent Threats and nation-state hackers to major data breaches and regulatory changes.
He has spoken at events including 44CON, Infosecurity Europe, RANT Forum, BSides Scotland, Steelcon and the National Cyber Security Show, and served as editor of SC Media UK, Infosecurity Magazine and IT Security Guru. He was also an analyst with 451 Research and a product marketing lead at Tenable.
