Brazil bans Meta from training its AI on user data
Brazil's data protection authority, ANPD, has imposed a ban on tech giant Meta, forbidding the use of Brazilian personal data for training its artificial intelligence models. This decision was triggered by an update to Meta's privacy policy in May that permitted the company to utilize public data from Facebook, Messenger, and Instagram in Brazil for AI training. The ANPD has given Meta five days to comply with the directive or face daily fines of approximately $8,800.
Concerns over potential exploitation trigger ban
The ban was instigated following a report by Human Rights Watch that exposed LAION-5B, one of the largest image-caption datasets used for AI training, contains identifiable photos of Brazilian children. This revelation sparked worries about potential risks of deepfakes and other forms of exploitation. The ANPD stated in the country's official gazette that Meta's policy carries an "imminent risk of serious and irreparable or difficult-to-repair damage to the fundamental rights" of Brazilian users.
ANPD's ban and potential consequences
In response to the ban, Meta asserted that its updated policy "complies with privacy laws and regulations in Brazil." The company argued that the ruling is "a step backwards for innovation, competition in AI development and further delays bringing the benefits of AI to people in Brazil." Despite Meta's claim that users can opt out of having their data used for AI training, the ANPD contends there are "excessive and unjustified obstacles" making it difficult for users to do so.
Meta's previous regulatory challenges and current policies
This isn't the first time Meta has encountered regulatory resistance over its data collection practices. The company had previously halted plans to train its AI models on European Facebook and Instagram posts due to objections from EU regulators. However, Meta's updated data collection policies continue to be in effect in the US and other parts of the world.
