The Brazilian National Data Protection Authority (ANPD) issued a "precautionary measure" prohibiting Meta, Inc. from using its citizens' data to train AI algorithms. This decision immediately suspended the changes made to Meta's privacy policy last month, which added the company's AI training to its data handling disclosures.
The ANPD stated: "Following an initial analysis, considering the serious and irreparable risks to users, the agency has temporarily ordered the suspension of the privacy policy and handling operations." The ANPD is dissatisfied with Meta's "inadequate legal assumption of personal data processing," with Zuckerberg reportedly defending the company's legitimate interests.
The ANPD stated: "Such assumptions cannot be used when handling sensitive personal data." Brazilian officials are also unhappy with Meta's lack of clear disclosure of privacy policy changes, excessive restrictions on user rights, and the processing of minors' data without proper safeguards.
The ANPD said that it first discovered the issue of Meta processing Brazilian data due to suspected violations of the country's General Data Protection Law and made its decision after "sufficient preliminary investigation results."
Meta said that its actions comply with Brazilian privacy laws and regulations and will continue to cooperate with the ANPD to resolve its issues. A Meta spokesperson also said: "AI training is not a unique feature of our services; we are more transparent than many industry peers who have been using public content to train their models and products." "This is a setback for innovation, AI development competition, and further bringing the benefits of AI to the Brazilian people," the Meta spokesperson added.
Brazil is one of the largest Facebook user bases globally, with an estimated 112 million users on the platform as of April 2024, second only to India, the United States, and Indonesia.
Key Points:
- 📛 Brazil's National Data Protection Authority bans Meta from using its citizens' data for the meta-training of AI models.
- 📛 The ANPD believes that Meta's "inadequate legal assumption of personal data processing" cannot be used to handle sensitive personal data.
- 📛 A Meta spokesperson stated that its actions comply with Brazilian privacy laws and regulations and will continue to cooperate with the ANPD to resolve its issues.