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Norway’s Privacy Battle With Meta Is Just Getting Started

Wired · 1y ago

Norway’s Privacy Battle With Meta Is Just Getting Started

Norway's privacy watchdog, Datatilsynet, is investigating Meta's new ad-free subscription model just days after its launch in Europe. The country's data protection regulator, Line Coll, argues that the model is not a win for privacy as Meta will still track and collect user data. Coll expects the subscription to form a basis for a new case against Meta in Norway. Previously, Coll's team ruled that Meta's behavioral advertising in Norway was illegal and fined the company $100,000 per day until it changed its business model. The European Data Protection Board extended Norway's ban on Meta's behavioral advertising to all 30 countries within the EU and European Economic Area.

Related News

US judge to hear Meta privacy dispute with FTC next month

Economic Times

Economic Times · 1y ago

US judge to hear Meta privacy dispute with FTC next month

A judge has agreed to hear arguments in late January regarding Meta Platforms' request to temporarily halt the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) from reopening a 2019 privacy agreement. The dispute began when the FTC accused Meta of misleading parents about their control over the Messenger Kids app. Proposed changes to the agreement include prohibiting Meta from making money off young users and expanding restrictions on facial recognition technology. The lawsuit is part of the ongoing battle between Meta and the FTC over privacy and competition concerns.

Google’s Gemini is the real start of the generative AI boom

Wired · 1y ago

Google’s Gemini is the real start of the generative AI boom

Google has released Gemini, a new AI model that goes beyond language models primarily anchored to text. Gemini is a "natively multimodal" model that can learn from data beyond just text, including audio, video, and images. The release of Gemini suggests that a new AI winter is unlikely, and the current AI boom is just getting started. OpenAI's ChatGPT had impressed many with its wide range of abilities, but Gemini takes AI capabilities to a new level. Google and OpenAI both acknowledge the need for radical new approaches to further progress in AI.

Meta’s AI project faces privacy complaints in Europe

Livemint

Livemint · 1y ago

Meta’s AI project faces privacy complaints in Europe

Facebook and Instagram parent Meta Platforms is facing privacy complaints from a European advocacy group over its new AI project. The Vienna-based NGO, Noyb-European Center for Digital Rights, has filed complaints in 11 European countries, urging privacy bodies to stop Meta's project before changes to its privacy policy take effect. The complaints highlight the challenges faced by big tech companies as they use user data to train AI models. Meta maintains that its approach is compliant with privacy laws and aligned with other tech firms. The complaints come as EU lawmakers introduce comprehensive legislation on AI and data privacy.

Meta to Replace Widely Used Data Tool—and Largely Cut Off Reporter Access

Livemint

Livemint · 1y ago

Meta to Replace Widely Used Data Tool—and Largely Cut Off Reporter Access

Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has announced plans to retire CrowdTangle, a data tool widely used by researchers and journalists to monitor content spread. The tool will be replaced with the Meta Content Library, available only to academic and nonprofit researchers. Meta aims to offer upgraded features like content view metrics and data on public comments. However, concerns have been raised over the termination's timing, just ahead of the 2024 US election campaign. Researchers have also criticized the new tool's limitations, including limited data search results and privacy restrictions.

WhatsApp to launch AI-Generated chat backgrounds via Meta AI

YourStory

YourStory · 3m ago

WhatsApp to launch AI-Generated chat backgrounds via Meta AI

WhatsApp is testing a feature that allows users to generate custom chat wallpapers using Meta AI, enhancing personalisation with AI-generated images based on user input. This tool is part of a broader integration of Meta AI into WhatsApp, expanding its functionalities to include interacting with users via “@Meta AI” for queries and content creation. Meta assures privacy, with AI features being optional and maintaining end-to-end encryption for non-AI interactions.

Can you opt out of Meta's AI scraping? Sort of

Economic Times

Economic Times · 1y ago

Can you opt out of Meta's AI scraping? Sort of

Meta recently announced the expansion of its AI services globally, which would involve using public information from users to train its AI systems. Concerns arose about privacy and the scope of this policy change, particularly in Europe where stricter online privacy laws exist. Meta's AI chatbot, powered by LLaMA 3, responds to user prompts and learns from public posts on Instagram and Facebook. While Meta claims to comply with privacy laws and use anonymized and aggregated data, concerns have been raised by privacy watchdogs about the usage and lack of transparency surrounding this data. Users in the US are unable to opt out, while European users have the option to do so through the Meta Privacy Center.

Facebook owner Meta breaks privacy rules, Norway regulator tells court

Economic Times

Economic Times · 1y ago

Facebook owner Meta breaks privacy rules, Norway regulator tells court

Meta Platforms, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, is facing allegations of breaking European data privacy rules in Norway. The country's data regulator, Datatilsynet, has fined Meta one million crowns ($94,145) per day since August 14 for violating user privacy by using harvested data for targeted advertising. The case highlights the issue of behavioral advertising in Big Tech. Meta seeks a temporary injunction against the order, challenging the validity of the fine. The situation reflects broader concerns about data privacy and regulatory compliance within the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) framework.

NCLAT to hear Meta’s plea against ₹213 crore CCI fine on WhatsApp privacy policy on 16 Jan

Livemint

Livemint · 7m ago

NCLAT to hear Meta’s plea against ₹213 crore CCI fine on WhatsApp privacy policy on 16 Jan

The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) will hear Meta Platforms' appeal on January 16 against a penalty imposed by India's Competition Commission (CCI) for abuse of dominance over WhatsApp's 2021 privacy policy update. The CCI fined Meta ₹213.14 crore, demanding WhatsApp not share user data with Meta entities without user consent. This mirrors global stances on data privacy, with past actions from Germany and Ireland against Meta’s handling of WhatsApp data.

Meta cannot delay US FTC from reopening privacy probe, court says

Economic Times

Economic Times · 1y ago

Meta cannot delay US FTC from reopening privacy probe, court says

Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook, cannot delay the reopening of the US Federal Trade Commission's investigation into Facebook's alleged privacy failures. A US court ruled that Meta's lawsuit challenging the agency's authority does not prevent the probe from continuing. The court stated that Meta failed to show that its challenge was likely to succeed. The FTC aims to tighten a 2020 privacy settlement with Facebook, accused Meta of misleading parents about child protection, and has accused Meta of antitrust violations. Meta denies the allegations and has sued the FTC, claiming constitutional violations.

EU consumers challenge Meta paid service as privacy ‘smokescreen’

Livemint

Livemint · 1y ago

EU consumers challenge Meta paid service as privacy ‘smokescreen’

Consumer groups from eight EU countries have filed complaints against Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, accusing them of illegally processing user data and using their "pay or consent" system as a cover for privacy breaches. Meta has faced scrutiny from EU regulators over its data privacy practices and is now being challenged by consumer and privacy advocates. The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) argues that Meta's system is a smokescreen and violates EU data protection regulations. The company has denied the accusations.

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