Elon Musk’s X (formerly Twitter) and Grok AI chatbot has stepped into a European hornet’s nest, and the buzz is all about your data.
Here’s the scoop: X has been caught with its hand in the digital cookie jar, helping itself to the data of millions of European users to train its AI chatbot, Grok.
And they didn’t bother asking for permission first. Oops!
This has triggered not one, not two, but NINE privacy complaints across the EU.
We’re talking a privacy rights smackdown in Austria, Belgium, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, and Spain.
GDPR for what, Grok?
The EU’s General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR for short, is the law that’s supposed to keep big tech companies from playing fast and loose with our personal info.
And with potential fines of up to 4% of global annual turnover, it’s got some serious teeth.
Max Schrems, the chairman of privacy rights nonprofit noyb (and apparently the Erin Brockovich of data protection), didn’t mince words. He’s accusing X of failing to get the all-important user consent before feeding our tweets to its hungry AI.
It’s like inviting yourself to a dinner party and then raiding the host’s fridge without asking – not cool, X, not cool.
“Companies that interact directly with users simply need to show them a yes/no prompt before using their data. They do this regularly for lots of other things, so it would definitely be possible for AI training as well,” Schrems tells TechCrunch.
AI training’s ‘legitimate interest’
X claims it’s relying on something called “legitimate interest” to justify its AI training buffet.
But privacy experts are calling BS faster than you can say “algorithm.” They argue X needs explicit consent, just like how Meta had to pause its own AI training plans when similar complaints were filed.
X was apparently munching on EU users’ data from May 7 to August 1 without so much as a “by your leave.”
They did eventually add an opt-out button, but it’s a bit like closing the barn door after the horse has bolted, learned to speak, and started its own podcast.
So, what does this mean for you, dear X user?
X and your data
Well, if you’re in the EU, your witty tweets and profound musings might have already been fed into the AI machine without your knowledge.
And getting that data back? It’s about as likely as Elon Musk giving up his Twitter… I mean, X account.
As this digital drama unfolds, one thing’s for sure: the battle between big tech and EU privacy laws is far from over.
This showdown between X and the EU is shaping up to be more gripping than the last season of your favorite Netflix series.
