Austrian privacy advocacy group, NOYB, led by privacy activist, Max Schrems, has filed a complaint against the social media platform X, (formerly Twitter), accusing the company of using personal user data to train its artificial intelligence (AI) systems without their consent.
The complaint, lodged under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), was submitted to data protection authorities across nine European Union countries, aiming to increase pressure on Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC).
The Irish DPC, which serves as the primary EU regulator for most major U.S. tech companies due to their EU headquarters in Ireland, has been urged to order X to cease processing user data for AI training purposes. An Irish court heard last week that X has agreed to temporarily halt using personal data from EU users for AI training until users are given the opportunity to withdraw their consent.
However, NOYB’s complaint is focused on the inadequacy of the mitigation measures taken by X and a perceived lack of cooperation from the company. Schrems stressed the need for X to fully comply with EU law, stating, “We want to ensure that Twitter fully complies with EU law, which, at a bare minimum, requires to ask users for consent in this case.”
In June, Meta, Facebook’s parent company, also faced pressure from the Irish DPC, leading it to delay the launch of its AI assistant in Europe. NOYB has filed similar complaints against Meta and other companies over the use of personal data for AI training.
X has not yet responded to requests for comment on the complaint. The company’s Global Government Affairs account stated last week that it would continue to collaborate with the DPC on AI-related issues.
