Meta Decides to Be More Transparent About Its Data Usage Policies in Brazil

• As per the demands of the ANPD, Meta has decided to be more transparent about how it handles user data with regard to AI training.
• The decision comes after the ANPD temporarily banned Meta's new privacy policy.
• But now that Meta has agreed to be transparent, the ban has been lifted.

Meta has decided to inform its Brazilian users about how it uses their personal data in training generative artificial intelligence (AI).

From Tuesday onwards, all users will get an email from Facebook and Instagram, containing details of Meta's data usage policies. In case they don't want to share their data for training purposes, the mail will also have the option to opt-out.

About the Suspension Imposed by the ANPD

It's important to note that this wasn't a voluntary decision. It is, in fact, a response to the action taken against it by Brazil's National Data Protection Authority (ANPD.

• Back in July, the agency banned Meta's new privacy policy over concerns about its use of users' personal data and social media posts for AI training. It was partly caused by an incident involving AI abuse.
• Basically, fake ads on Meta used AI to replicate the voice of Brazilian businessman Luciano Hang and tricked users into buying products that didn't exist.

Hence, a ban was imposed. However, it was lifted last Friday only after Meta promised to provide the necessary disclosure to its users. And if Meta fails to stand on its promise, it'll be fined 50,000 reais ($9,058) daily.

When the suspension was announced, Meta had also hit the brakes on generative AI tools in Brazil. This took away a lot of popular AI features from its platforms, such as the AI-generated WhatsApp sticker.

However, now that the suspension has been lifted, it has still not been confirmed whether generative AI tools will be reinstated in the country. Apparently, there's still some talking left to do with the ANPD about how its AI tools will handle user data.

But on the brighter side, it has been confirmed that all of this is just temporary. Its AI tools will soon resume operation in Brazil.

X vs Brazilian Court

Meta isn't the only one facing issues with Brazilian authorities at the moment. Musk-owned X is going through something way worse. The platform has been banned in the country until further notice because it failed to appoint a legal representative within the given deadline.

• It started with Justice Alexandre de Moraes asking Musk to ban a few X accounts because they were spreading misinformation. But Musk refused to do so.
• Tensions between the two parties further increased when Musk called Moraes a dictator and accused him of breaking the law by asking him to ban those accounts.

The issue has been going on for months. The latest update is that the ban passed by Moraes has been upheld by the Brazilian Supreme Court while X and Musk continue to protest against them.

In fact, while all other internet service providers have agreed to block access to X during the ban, Musk-owned satellite service provider Starlink has refused to comply with court orders.

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