Ireland Investigates X Regarding The Use Of Private Data For European Union Users To Train AI Grok
JAKARTA Ireland's Data Protection Commission (DPC) has officially opened an investigation into social media platform X (formerly Twitter) regarding the use of EU (EU) users' personal data to train the company's artificial intelligence (AI) system, Grok.
As the main regulator X in the European Union because the company's regional operations headquarters are in Ireland "DPC" has the authority to impose fines of up to 4% of the company's total global revenue, in accordance with strict provisions in the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
In a statement on Friday, April 11, the DPC said that the investigation focused on "personal data processing contained in public posts posted by EU/EEA users on platform X, for the purpose of training a generative artificial intelligence model."
Tensions Between The EU And The US On Technology Regulations
US President Donald Trump and several government officials have often strongly criticized the technology regulations implemented by the European Union against US companies, calling them a form of 'screened tax'.
Elon Musk, owner of X and one of Trump's top tech advisers, is also known to be vocal against regulations imposed by EU authorities, particularly policies that come directly from Brussels regarding online content moderation.
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This investigation is a continuation of last year's legal case, in which Irish regulators made a request to limit X in processing EU user data for AI system training. X then agreed to stop using EU users' personal data before they were given the opportunity to withdraw their approval, and the court was terminated after the company agreed to this restriction permanently.
Since gaining sanctions in 2018, the Irish DPC has imposed large fines on major tech companies, including Microsoft (LinkedIn), TikTok, and Meta (Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp). The total fine imposed on Meta alone has reached nearly 3 billion euros (Rp57.2 trillion).
Meanwhile, X yang saat itu masih bernama Twitter kalinya dikenakan sanksi pada tahun 2020, ketika DPC menjatuhkan denda sebesar 450,000 euro (sekitar Rp8,5 miliar), menjadikannya denda pertama yang dikeluarkan regulator di bawah sistem privasi data baru EU.