Musk’s X Not Bothered with EU’s Data Protection, Just Users’ Data Collection
Consumer organizations have lodged a complaint to the Irish Data protection Commission (DPC) accusing X platform’s AI tool, Grok, of breaching the General Data Protection Regulation (GDRP) on Monday.
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a European Union (EU) that went into effect on May 25 back in 2018, establishing guidelines for collecting, processing, and storing personal data. The EU established GDPR to take counter measures for the protection of individuals concerning their personal data.
There Were Others
X (FKA Twitter) is not the first social media platform to face such a complaint over the use of users’ data for AI training purposes, as Meta Platforms and Microsoft’s LinkedIn have also been previously targeted too.
The official complaint was submitted by lawyer Marco Scialdone, as the representative of Euroconsumers – a European consumer organization representing several national consumer groups, and Altroconsumo – an Italian consumer association under Euroconsumers.
Lawyer and adjunct professor at the European University of Rome, Marco Scialdone, argues that X has violated multiple aspects of the GDPR.
As per the complaint, X has not been clear about how it uses data for AI training, is collecting more data than necessary, and might be handling sensitive data without proper justification.
As per the complaint, Musk’s X has not been transparent about its users’ data usage for its Grok AI training. The complaint has revealed that the micro-blogging platform has been collecting massive volumes of data, more than it needs. As it stands at the moment, the platform might be handling sensitive data without proper justification.
It is worth noting that this is not the first time such claims have surfaced regarding Elon Musk’s AI project, Grok. Previous complaints have revealed excessive use of personal data for AI model training.
Back in July, the tech billionaire CEO faced heavy scrutiny and pressure from regulators for using users’ posts to train the built-in AI assistant through the platform’s default settings.
According to the complaint, X refrained from providing a clear explanation of how the data was harvested and used for AI training. In response, Marco Scialdone has asked the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) to warn the microblogging platform, demand a complete halt to all personal data gathering, and ensure X complies with the EU’s GDPR.
The Irish Data Protection Commission is the national independent authority that handles the protection of individuals right within the EU to protect their personal data.
Similarly, other big tech giants, such as Meta Platforms have encountered back in June complaints by the digital rights non-profit Noyb, for using personal data for AI, but the company decided then to remove its AI features from the EU.
Back in July, other Big Tech giants, such as Meta Platforms, also faced complaints issued by the digital rights non-profit, Noyb, regarding personal data usage for AI training. In response, Meta chose to completely remove its AI feature from all EU territories rather than provide a clear explanation of its data collection practices.
Final Thoughts
The growing number of complaints filed against major, prominent, tech companies, mostly related to privacy issues, highlights the urgent need for deeper collaboration and dialogue with government institutions to ensure better compliance with regulations.
The EU’s GDPR and Data protection Commission are a vital and highly important example that serves as a critical legal framework to guarantee that user data is managed responsibly, although its implementation remains a challenge.
For Musk’s X and other big tech companies, this is not just about compliance. It sets a benchmark for good ethical practices in AI.
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