X Corp, led by Elon Musk, will cease to use the personal data of European Union users in training its artificial intelligence chatbot Grok. This action comes as regulators in the 27-country bloc, led by Ireland’s Data Protection Commission-the chief enforcer of EU data protection laws-urge enforcement. X Corp. has agreed to erase any data it collected between May 7 and Aug. 1, 2024. This is one of those heated moments in ongoing tension between technology companies and EU privacy laws.
X Corporation Halts Data Collection.
The decision follows an August 2024 statutory application from the DPC to the High Court in Ireland for the provision of an order cease processing by X Corp. of EU users’ personal data for the training of its AI model, pending the conclusion of its inquiry. “The Commission engaged in correspondence and discussions with X Corp. following the filing of the statutory application, after which X Corp. committed to permanently cease the use of this data for AI training, and the court case was subsequently settled on that basis.Commitment to Data Deletion
X Corp. has, by consent order, committed to erasing personal data collected from the public posts of EU users on its social network, X, for a period extending from May until August 2024. The move will make the company comply with standards laid out by the EU on privacy and address concerns raised by data protection authorities on user rights.The Irish Data Protection Commission
The DPC oversees technology companies headquartered in Ireland and took a leading role in the charge against X Corp. This is the first such move by an EU regulator against a major social media platform. Commissioner Dale Sunderland says it bodes for an even more significant development, pushing for broader proactive regulation of data use in AI model training across Europe.Broader Ramifications for Data Protection and AI
On the other hand, DPC asked the European Data Protection Board to address the increasing chasm between AI model training and data protection laws. Other technology companies, like Meta Platforms, Inc., have faced complaints over similar practices. A decision in this case will probably form how AI training and data protection are policed for years to come in most parts of the EU.
X Corp.’s commitment to cease using personal data for AI training is a huge victory for advocates of data privacy and EU regulators, as it has set a tangent on how technology companies need to handle user data with due respect for European privacy laws while AI technologies are improving.
