Elon Musk’s X Faces Privacy Complaints in Europe Over Data Use Issues

Photo : AP

Vienna: A privacy advocacy group based in Vienna has filed complaints against Elon Musk's X across eight European countries, accusing the company of unlawfully using personal data for artificial intelligence (AI) technology without users' consent. The European Center for Digital Rights, known as Noyb ("None of Your Business"), lodged the complaints on Monday, highlighting concerns over X's data handling practices.

The complaints come on the heels of legal action taken earlier this month by Ireland's Data Protection Commission (DPC), which challenged X's data collection methods used to train its AI systems. According to Noyb, X has recently begun "irreversibly feeding" the personal data of more than 60 million European users into its Grok AI technology. This was done without informing users or obtaining their consent, as alleged by the privacy group.

Noyb criticized X for not proactively notifying its users about the use of their data for AI training, noting that many individuals only learned of this change through a viral social media post on July 26. The DPC, representing the European Union, had announced last week that X had agreed to halt the controversial processing of user data for AI purposes. However, Noyb founder Max Schrems argued that the DPC’s actions were insufficient, focusing more on procedural issues rather than addressing the core legality of the data processing practices.

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Noyb has also raised concerns about the status of the data already ingested by X and called for a comprehensive investigation into the matter. The group has filed complaints in Austria, Belgium, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, and Spain, seeking an "urgency procedure" that would compel data protection authorities in these countries to take immediate action.

Schrems emphasized the need for X to fully comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which mandates that companies must obtain user consent before using their personal data. The GDPR is designed to give individuals greater control over their personal information and ensure transparency in data usage.

Noyb has a history of legal actions against major tech companies, including a recent case against Meta, which resulted in the suspension of its AI projects. Since its inception in 2018, Noyb has been active in holding technology giants accountable for GDPR compliance and advocating for robust data protection practices.