Meta AI on WhatsApp: How to avoid the data protection trap in Austria!

Meta AI on WhatsApp: How to avoid the data protection trap in Austria!

Meta AI is now active in Austria and is causing excitement among WhatsApp users. Loud vol.at The feature launched in the US at the end of 2023, but the rollout in Europe experienced delays due to stricter data protection rules. While AI has been introduced in Austria, users have limited control over its functionality.

Meta AI acts as a virtual assistant that helps users create text, generate ideas and answer search queries. The bot can be accessed via the search bar in WhatsApp or appears as a separate chat with a blue-purple icon. It is not possible to completely deactivate the function. Nevertheless, users can limit the visibility of the bot through certain measures.

Alternatives to hiding

Users still have some options to remove Meta AI from their field of vision. These include:

• Chat archivieren:
• Auf Android: Chat gedrückt halten und „Archivieren“ wählen.
• Auf iPhone: Chat nach links wischen und auf „Archivieren“ tippen.
• Chat stummschalten: Vor der Archivierung kann der Bot stummgeschaltet werden, um keine Benachrichtigungen zu erhalten.
• Chat löschen: Der Verlauf mit der KI kann entfernt werden, bleibt aber in der App vorhanden.

Additionally, the AI ​​was automatically installed on devices without first asking users for consent. This measure was taken to reach a larger user base. How Cosmo reports, AI is often viewed as less new, but offers powerful functions such as processing and replying to messages, sometimes leading to privacy concerns. User input could be used for personalized advertising.

A look at the features

Similar in its functionality to models like ChatGPT, Meta AI is one of the advanced language models that can understand human language and make predictions about word sequences. While a full-featured version is available in the US, a limited variant has been introduced in Europe to comply with EU data protection regulations. Functions such as analyzing group chats or transcribing audio messages are still disabled in Austria.

It should be noted that in order to use certain AI functions, end-to-end encryption must be disabled as the AI ​​has to read the messages. This concerns WhatsApp users in Austria who may have concerns about their data security. Meta explains that the AI ​​is part of a larger strategy aimed at making artificial intelligence more integrated into users' everyday lives on platforms like Facebook and Instagram.

For further information on this topic, the European Commission comprehensive data and answers on the impact of AI technologies.