In a recent legal development, social media giant X has agreed to temporarily halt the use of personal data from European Union users to train its AI systems. This decision comes after an Irish court addressed concerns raised by Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC).
The DPC, acting as the chief EU regulator for many major U.S. tech companies, sought a court order to prevent X from using EU user data for AI training until further notice. The issue at hand was that X had been processing user data to enhance its AI capabilities without providing a timely option for users to withdraw consent.
The court learned that X began utilizing EU data for AI training on May 7 but only introduced the opt-out feature on July 16. Moreover, this feature was not available to all users initially, as noted by Judge Leonie Reynolds.
X’s legal team stated that the data collected from EU users between May 7 and August 1 would be withheld from AI training until the court reaches a decision on the DPC’s order. They plan to contest the suspension order by September 4.
X’s Global Government Affairs account criticized the DPC’s request, labeling it as “unwarranted” and arguing that it unfairly targets the platform.
This move follows similar actions by other tech giants. In June, Meta Platforms decided to delay the launch of its Meta AI models in Europe after being advised by the Irish DPC. Alphabet’s Google also paused and revised its Gemini AI chatbot plans earlier this year following discussions with the regulator.
This ongoing scrutiny underscores the increasing regulatory focus on how tech companies handle user data and develop AI technologies.
