X Faces GDPR Complaints in 8 EU Countries Over AI Data Use
Elon Musk's social media platform X (formerly Twitter) is facing a new wave of legal challenges in Europe over its data practices related to AI development. Privacy advocacy group Noyb has filed complaints against X in eight European Union countries, alleging the company unlawfully used personal data from over 60 million EU users to train its Grok AI system without proper consent.
Key points:
- Complaints filed in Austria, Belgium, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, and Spain
- Noyb claims X violated multiple GDPR articles by using user data for AI training without consent
- Follows recent action by Ireland's Data Protection Commission (DPC) against X's data collection
- X agreed to suspend EU user data processing for AI, but questions remain about previously collected data
Background
This legal action comes just days after X agreed to halt the processing of EU user data for AI training in response to an urgent court application by Ireland's DPC. However, Noyb argues that the DPC's intervention did not address the core issue of X's alleged GDPR violations.
Noyb founder Max Schrems stated, We want to ensure that Twitter (now X) fully complies with EU law, which — at a bare minimum — requires to ask users for consent.
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| Elon Musk engaged in a discussion about innovation and compliance, reflecting on the importance of adhering to EU data protection laws |
Potential implications
The complaints could lead to:
- Further restrictions on X's AI development practices in the EU
- Significant fines if GDPR violations are confirmed
- Increased scrutiny of other tech companies' AI data practices
As AI development accelerates, this case highlights the growing tension between data protection regulations and the massive datasets required to train advanced AI models. The outcome could have far-reaching implications for how social media platforms and AI companies operate in the European Union.
X has not yet publicly responded to these new complaints. The situation continues to develop as data protection authorities in the affected countries review Noyb's filings.