Overview

• Meta plans to begin using European users’ public Facebook and Instagram data for AI training on May 27, excluding minors' accounts and private messages.
• Austrian privacy group NOYB has issued a cease-and-desist letter, threatening legal action unless Meta halts its plans by May 21.
• NOYB argues that Meta’s reliance on 'legitimate interest' under GDPR is invalid and suggests requiring opt-in consent and anonymized data usage instead.
• Meta defends its approach as aligned with EU regulatory consensus and claims its transparency surpasses competitors like Google and OpenAI.
• The dispute highlights tensions between data privacy enforcement and Europe’s aspirations to remain competitive in the global AI landscape.