Meta initiates artificial intelligence education in Germany - Meta initiates AI education program in Germany
Meta commences large-scale AI training with German user data
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has received the green light to use data from German users in training its artificial intelligence systems. The decision, made by the Higher Regional Court of Cologne, overturns an earlier attempt by consumer protection advocates to legally ban the practice.
The company intends to gather data from posts users have made on both platforms to enhance their AI models. However, users have a short window to opt-out of this use of their data, which ended last Tuesday. WhatsApp, another Meta property, was exempted from the data collection due to its encrypted messaging service.
Controversy arises over compliance with data protection laws
The use of user data for AI training raises concerns over compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), a European law that regulates the processing of personal data. Meta asserts that the data collection complies with the GDPR's "legitimate interests" legal basis, but critics argue that the company has not provided a suitable legal ground and may be violating the law.
Furthermore, consumer protection agencies have argued that Meta's actions do not follow the European Union's Digital Markets Act, as the company combines personal data across its platforms without proper legal grounds.
Regulatory actions and reassessments
The German data protection authority in Hamburg initially sought to prohibit Meta from using German users' personal data for AI training but subsequently dropped its case in late May 2025. The Irish Data Protection Commission, acting as the lead EU regulator for Meta, approved the company's AI training plans with certain improvements, subject to a further review in October 2025.
Privacy advocacy groups like noyb and Max Schrems have expressed concerns over Meta's approach, criticizing the reliance on opt-out mechanisms instead of opt-in consent. These groups have threatened lawsuits, highlighting the lack of robust enforcement of GDPR compliance across data protection authorities.
Meta's competitors lead in AI applications
Despite Meta's efforts to catch up, the US-based companies OpenAI, Microsoft, and Google are currently far ahead in the AI race. A recent survey by the German digital industry association Bitkom shows that OpenAI leads with 43% market share, followed by Microsoft with 39%, and Google with 28%. Meta's AI language model, Llama, does not appear in the most used AI applications list.
Overall, Meta's compliance with European data protection law remains a contentious issue, with significant legal risks and regulatory reassessments ongoing, particularly with regard to German user data. This tension highlights the challenge of striking a balance between innovation in AI training and the strict adherence to European privacy standards.
- Meta's AI language model, Llama, so far, doesn't seem to be as popular as its US-based competitors, such as OpenAI, Microsoft, and Google, in the European market, according to a recent survey by the German digital industry association Bitkom.
- As Meta continues to use German user data for AI training, concerns over adherence to European data protection laws, particularly the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), continue to persist, with privacy advocacy groups like noyb and Max Schrems threatening legal action and highlighting the lack of robust enforcement of GDPR compliance across data protection authorities.
