This story is yet another example of the challenges that large technology companies face in complying with European regulations.
Large companies like Meta often find themselves dealing with strict European Union regulations. There European regulation in matters of privacy and competition is among the most rigorous in the world, forcing many technology companies to review and adapt their policies in order to operate on the European market. This situation often leads to delays and changes in new product and service launches.
Recently it seems to have been Meta’s turn to face these difficulties. The company had plans the launch of one of its most anticipated services, but it had to take a step back due to disagreements with European regulators. The current situation sees Meta engaged in a dialogue with the authorities to find a solution that allows the launch of its new product in compliance with EU regulations.
Meta delays the introduction of one of its most anticipated services in the EU due to legal disputes
Meta announced the delay in the launch of new Meta AI features in Europe due to concerns raised by the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC). Specifically, the DPC asked Meta to postpone training its large language models (LLMs) on European user data until local privacy regulations are met.
The problem arises from the fact that Meta intended to use public content shared by users on Facebook and Instagram to train its AI models. This practice, however, has raised concerns among European regulatory authorities since its announcement, which require greater protection of user privacy.
The request from the Irish DPC, acting on behalf of the European data protection authorities, therefore put a pause on these plans. Stefano Fratta, global director of privacy policy engagement at Meta, expressed disappointment with this decisionnoting that the company had already incorporated regulatory feedback and informed European authorities since March.
The privacy advocacy group NOYB (“Non of your business”) played a crucial role in this affair. Max Schrems, president of the group, welcomed the decision to slow down the plans but also stressed the need to monitor the situation closely, noting that so far there has been no official change in Meta’s privacy policy that would make this legally binding commitment.
