The-EUs-privacy-watchdog-is-investigating-X-over-sexualized-AI.jpeg

The EU’s privacy watchdog is investigating X over sexualized AI images

by with No Comment Xpandfy

X is facing mounting criticism from foreign watchdogs over its generative AI chatbot, Grok.

The Irish Data Protection Commission said Tuesday that it had opened an inquiry into Elon Musk’s X, formerly known as Twitter.

The commission said in a press release that the inquiry was linked to the creation and publication of non-consensual, sexualized images of European Union residents on X using Grok’s generative AI functions. This included pictures of children.

The commission, which is responsible for enforcing the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation, said in the release that it notified X of the investigation on Monday.

X did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

Grok is a chatbot developed by Musk’s xAI, now a subsidiary of his aerospace company SpaceX.

The commission’s investigation follows several weeks of controversy around Grok and X. The platform came under fire worldwide in January after reports emerged of Grok users generating sexualized images of real people, including minors.

Countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines temporarily suspended access to Grok. The European Commission launched an investigation into Grok, while India’s information technology ministry voiced its opposition via a letter to the chief compliance officer of X’s India operations.

California’s Attorney General, Rob Bonta, also said in early January that he had launched a probe into Grok’s AI deepfakes.

In response, X made Grok’s AI image generation tool a premium feature limited to paying subscribers and later stopped it from generating sexualized images altogether. However, a Business Insider report found that it was still possible to trigger these images in Grok’s web and mobile applications.

In response to backlash over Grok, Musk said in an X post on January 3, “Anyone using Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they upload illegal content.”




Source link

Shein-faces-Texas-probe-into-materials-labor-and-data-privacy.jpeg

Shein faces Texas probe into materials, labor, and data privacy

by with No Comment Xpandfy

Texas has launched a probe into Shein, accusing it of selling unsafe, toxic products to US consumers.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a Monday news release that his office was investigating the fast-fashion giant for potential violations of Texas law, “related to unethical labor practices and the sale of unsafe consumer products.”

Paxton referenced Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s “Make America Healthy Again” campaign in the release, saying that safe and non-toxic products were a key ingredient in the movement.

“Any company that cuts corners on labor standards or product safety, especially those operating in foreign nations like China, will be held accountable,” Paxton said in the release.

Shein is headquartered in Singapore and sources many of its products from China.

“Texans deserve to know that the companies they buy from are ethical, safe, transparent, and not exploiting workers or selling harmful products. I will not allow cheap, dangerous, foreign goods to flood America and jeopardize our health,” Paxton said.

The release said that the investigation will also examine Shein’s data collection and privacy practices.

Representatives for Shein did not respond to a request for comment about the Texas investigation from Business Insider.

This is the latest setback that Shein is facing in the US, its largest market.

Since the start of President Donald Trump’s second term, his administration has cracked down on the de minimis trade loophole, which previously allowed low-cost parcels to enter the country tax-free. Shein said in April that it would raise prices to account for higher operating expenses, a result of changes in trade laws.

Paxton, who is running for Senate in 2026, is not the first government official globally to launch a probe into Shein.

South Korean health officials raised concerns several times last year about Shein’s products containing toxic substances above legal limits. In response to the probes, Shein told Singaporean outlet The Straits Times in June 2024 that it had removed the offending products from its catalogue.

In May, the European Commission said it had investigated Shein’s practices and found that the company had breached EU law by offering fake discounts, using deceptive product labels, and making misleading sustainability claims.

Shein also came under fire in France in early November for selling childlike sex dolls and illegal weapons on its third-party marketplace in the country, per a Reuters report. France suspended the marketplace shortly after.

The European Commission said on Wednesday that it had sent a request to Shein to provide evidence that it would not expose minors to inappropriate content and that it would prevent the circulation of illegal products.

A Shein spokesperson told Politico that the company had received the request and was “working to promptly address it.”




Source link

Metas-plan-to-train-its-AI-on-all-your-old.jpeg

Meta’s plan to train its AI on all your old Facebook data is raising eyebrows among privacy advocates

by with No Comment Xpandfy

Meta is scrambling to compete in the red-hot AI arms race, but an advocacy group is demanding nearly a dozen European countries force Meta to pump the breaks.

The European advocacy group announced complaints in 11 European countries over an upcoming Meta policy change that would allow it to scrape old user data from Facebook to train its artificial intelligence models.

Meta “plans to use years of personal posts, private images, or online tracking data for an undefined ‘AI technology’ that can ingest personal data from any source and share any information with undefined ‘third parties,'” the group, aptly named None of Your Business, or NOYB, said in a press announcement asking authorities to step in and suspend the policy.

Meta’s updated privacy policy is scheduled to go live in late June. It would impact some 400 million European users, NOYB said. The group said it was concerning that users would have to manually opt out of providing data in the future.

“Instead of asking users for their consent (opt-in), Meta argues that it has a legitimate interest that overrides the fundamental right to data protection and privacy of European users,” NOYB said. Europe has strict data privacy laws outlined in the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation, which went into effect in 2018 and has had a profound effect on Big Tech’s operations in Europe.

NOYB filed complaints in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, and Spain.

A Meta spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider, but the company previously told Reuters that its new policy followed the law.

“We are confident that our approach complies with privacy laws, and our approach is consistent with how other tech companies are developing and improving their AI experiences in Europe (including Google and Open AI),” a Meta spokesperson said, according to Reuters.

In the United States, Meta AI has already had access to public user data and private chat conversations on Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, and there is no way to fully opt out of sharing your information, The Washington Post reported.


Source link