Meta cleared by UK regulators to resume training AI with UK users’ data

Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has been approved by the UK's Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) to resume using data from British users' public posts for training its artificial intelligence systems. This follows a temporary pause earlier this year after privacy concerns were raised by the activist group noyb (or NOYB).

The agreement between Meta and the ICO allows the tech giant to once again scrape public comments, images, and posts from UK users to fuel its machine learning systems. However, this time, Meta has implemented new measures to make it easier for people to opt out and to ensure they have more time to decide whether they want their data used for these purposes.

Stephen Almond, executive director of regulatory risk at the ICO, emphasized that Meta has taken steps to address the raised privacy concerns. "In June, Meta paused its plans to use Facebook and Instagram user data to train generative AI in response to a request from the ICO. It has since made changes to its approach, including making it simpler for users to object to the processing and providing them with a longer window to do so," he said.

Almond also confirmed that the ICO will continue to monitor Meta's activities to ensure that the rights of UK citizens are protected:

"Meta has now decided to resume its plans, and we will monitor the situation as Meta moves to inform UK users and commence processing in the coming weeks."

Changes in Data Collection Practices

Meta's revised approach includes a clearer opt-out mechanism for UK users and a longer time frame for people to decide whether their data will be used in AI training. The company has pledged to limit the data collection to public material posted by adults and to provide clear notifications explaining how the data will be used. The first of these notifications is expected to roll out next week.

Meta emphasized that the harvested data will help its generative AI models better reflect British culture, history, and idiom. The company also claims to be more transparent than other tech giants when it comes to the use of personal data for AI training.

"We’re building AI at Meta to reflect the diverse communities around the world and we look forward to launching it in more countries and languages later this year," Meta said in a statement.

Wider Implications and Global Scrutiny

While Meta has secured the green light from UK regulators, the company continues to face global scrutiny over its data practices. Just this week, Meta admitted to the Australian parliament that posts from 2007 onward, including images of minors, were being used for AI training. The disclosure has sparked concerns over data privacy and transparency in other regions.

As for the UK, the ICO’s decision raises questions about how other tech giants like Google may handle similar data scraping efforts. Meta’s move sets a precedent, and it remains to be seen whether other companies will face similar regulatory challenges or if new guidelines will emerge regarding the use of personal data in AI development.