Meta's AI Training Plan Raises Fresh Concerns in Dutch Parliament

By Netvora Tech News

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Meta's plan to train artificial intelligence (AI) using data from European Facebook and Instagram users has raised fresh concerns in the Dutch parliament. The digital rights group D66 has asked the state secretary for digitalization, Sabine Verheyen, to introduce an opt-in system for Meta to ensure users' consent before using their data for AI training. Meta has announced that it will start using data from European users from May 27th, unless users actively object. The Dutch Data Protection Authority and privacy watchdogs in Belgium and France have already urged users to object to the use of their data. The Consumer Association has also called for Meta to explicitly ask users for permission to use their data. If users do not give consent, their data should not be used. Following Meta's announcement, the Volt party submitted questions to the parliament last month. Today, D66 has also done so. "Do you share the great concerns of the Dutch Data Protection Authority about Meta's plan to train AI without any consent from users?" asked D66 parliamentarian, Vera van der Werf. Van der Werf also asked the state secretary to clarify how Meta should inform users about the use of their data and how users can retrieve what has happened to their data. "Why do you allow data from Dutch users to be used without consent for AI training? Is this in line with the privacy legislation and does it comply with European agreements?" she asked further. Finally, Van der Werf wants to know what the state secretary plans to do to ensure that users must explicitly give consent, rather than object, before their data is used. The state secretary has three weeks to respond.