A cease and desist letter was sent to Meta on May 14, 2025. The letter was written by noyb, an advocacy organization for privacy rights. This organization specializes in privacy rights within the European commercial sphere. Its full name is noyb – European Center for Digital Rights. The letter expresses concern about the upcoming AI training announced by Meta. Meta will incorporate posted data from EU-located users of its communication products into AI training. This use of data will begin on May 27, 2025.
European AI Training Plans
The Meta website announces: “In the EU, we will soon begin training our AI models.” According to the website, training will use “interactions that people have with AI at Meta.” Content posted publicly by adults on the company’s platforms will also be used in training. Private messages will not be used in the training process. Neither will posts by EU residents who are not eighteen years old or older.
Meta states: “People based in the EU who use our platforms can object.” People have the option not to accept the use of their data. They will send out informational notices with links to forms included. These are forms via which people can object to having their data used for training. The forms have been designed to be accessible and user-friendly. Also, the company’s website purports that the company has worked to comply with legal requirements. The website states that training was put off “while regulators clarified legal requirements.”
About Meta AI
The company’s website provides an invitation to see how the Meta AI app works. Meta states: “Open the… app and start talking to get tailored answers, advice, and inspiration.” The AI features are designed to be used while using its social media sites. These sites include Facebook and Instagram.
According to CNET, Meta has “woven artificial intelligence into” interactions on its communication platforms. You can use this incorporated AI to help with social media creation tasks. Tasks this AI helper can assist with include editing images or crafting posts. You can ask the app questions you need answers to in daily life situations. The AI app is designed to help you with life as it happens.
About noyb
The full name of noyb is noyb – European Center for Digital Rights. According to the Economic Times, the noyb acronym stands for “None Of Your Business.” The noyb organization protects the right to privacy. Its website states that noyb’s focus is on “commercial privacy issues on a European level.”
The original idea for noyb came from Max Schrems. Schrems is a lawyer and participates in activism surrounding privacy concerns. There are two other members of the noyb Board of Directors. These members are lawyers Petra Leupold and Christof Tschohl. Max Schrems has commented that Meta does not need its users’ data to train AI. According to Schrems, the idea that this is necessary “is laughable.” Schrems states: “Other AI providers do not use social network data.”
Cease and Desist Letter
On May 14, 2025, noyb sent to Meta a cease and desist letter. This letter is in response to the social media company’s recent announcement. According to noyb’s website, Meta intends to “use EU personal data.” The data from EU Instagram and Facebook posts will be used for AI training purposes. This new policy will go into effect on May 27, 2025.
The noyb website states that Meta does not intend to ask “consumers for opt-in consent.” According to noyb, a policy of opt-in consent is necessary to be GDPR-compliant. GDPR stands for the General Data Protection Regulation. On the other hand, the GDPR offers businesses the idea of “legitimate interest.” Businesses can claim that certain situations necessitate the collection of data.
Meta is using this principle to justify its new data-collection policy. However, the GDPR website states that “fundamental rights and freedoms of data subjects” take precedence. Also, Article 21 of the GDPR provides an opt-out right. Meta, according to noyb, places conditions even on this right. The social media company only allows opting out before the beginning of its AI training.
