Meta may use data for AI: Cologne judgment causes excitement!

Meta may use data for AI: Cologne judgment causes excitement!

The use of personal data by META, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has triggered a new wave of discussions about data protection and artificial intelligence. On May 26, 2025, the deadline for users who wanted to contradict the data use by META ended. From May 27, 2025, Meta will be able to use data from European users for training his AI, "Meta Ai" if they have not actively objected. Exxpress.at reports that the Cologne Higher Regional Court has decided that META has a "legitimate interest" in data use, which means that it is allowed to use personal data from public profiles for your KI.

The court also found that there are no violations of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or the Digital Markets Act (DMA). Critics, including the None of your Business (NOYB) and the Consumer Center North Rhine-Westphalia, have expressed concerns and initiated legal steps. In this decision you see a clear violation of European data protection law. Meta has emphasized that it will not use sensitive personal data such as names, email addresses or postal addresses.

controversy about the objection period

The objection period that ended on May 26 was perceived by many users as complicated. In order to object to data use, users had to find and fill out a hidden form on Facebook or Instagram. The Consumer Center North Rhine-Westphalia criticized this process as confusing and called for an easier way for users to protect their data. According to Tagesschau.de it remains unclear whether data can actually be deleted according to a contradiction.

Meta defends his data strategy and argues that the use of public content is necessary for the training of your AI to better understand cultural and linguistic aspects. Experts support this view and emphasize that AI models can be improved by access to real content. However, the company makes it clear that personal WhatsApp chats will not flow into the training process.

European data protection authorities in the context of the KI

The role of the data protection authorities is becoming increasingly important as part of the AI Act and the ongoing developments for data use by companies such as META. The European Data Protection Committee (EDSA) recently accepted an explanation on the role of these authorities in the course of the new law on artificial intelligence. According to edpb.europa.eu, data protection authorities are to be named as market surveillance authorities between cooperation between To improve regulatory authorities.

With the naming of market surveillance authorities by August 2, 2025, another step to improve data protection in Europe is taken. These authorities should represent a central point of contact for the public, in particular for high-risk ACI systems. Data protection authorities thus play a central role in the supervision of AI and the protection of personal data, especially in the context of current developments around META and the use of user data.