Brazil’s national data protection agency has made a significant decision regarding Meta’s use of Brazilian data for artificial intelligence training. This ruling affects Meta’s popular platforms, Instagram and Facebook. The decision prevents Meta from using data originating in Brazil to train its AI systems.
Meta recently updated its privacy policy. This update allows the company to use people’s public posts as input for its AI systems. However, this practice will not be allowed in Brazil.
The agency cites potential risks to fundamental rights as the reason for this decision. They believe there is an immediate risk of serious and irreparable harm to data subjects. This harm could be difficult to fix if allowed to occur.
Brazil is a key market for Meta. Facebook alone has about 102 million active users in the country. This is significant considering Brazil’s total population of 203 million, based on the 2022 census.
Meta has expressed disappointment with the decision. The company believes its methods comply with Brazilian privacy laws and regulations. Meta argues that this decision will slow down innovation and AI development in Brazil. They claim it will delay the benefits of AI for Brazilian users.
This is not the first challenge Meta has faced regarding its privacy policy update. In Europe, the company recently paused its plans to use public posts for AI training. This was supposed to start last week but has been put on hold.
Meta had announced on its Brazilian blog in May that it might use publicly shared information about its products and services. This could include public posts, photos, and captions for some of its AI features.
While Meta claimed users could opt out, the Brazilian agency found issues with this process. They stated that there were too many obstacles for users to access information and exercise their right to opt out.
The agency also criticized Meta for not providing enough information about the potential consequences of using personal data for AI development. This lack of transparency was a key factor in the decision.
Meta now has five working days to comply with the decision. If they fail to do so, they face a daily fine of 50,000 reais (approximately $8,820).
This decision highlights the growing global concern about how big tech companies use personal data for AI development. It shows that countries are taking steps to protect their citizens’ data rights in the face of rapidly advancing AI technology.
