Meta has suspended the use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) in Brazil following a preliminary ban by the country’s data protection authority, which objected to Meta’s new privacy policy.
The news was first reported by Reuters.
Meta announced that it would pause the use of GenAI tools while it engages in discussions with Brazil’s National Data Protection Authority (ANPD) to address the agency’s concerns.
Earlier this month, ANPD immediately halted Meta’s new privacy policy, which allowed the company to access users’ personal data to train its GenAI systems. The decision was based on “the imminent risk of serious and irreparable damage or difficult-to-repair damage to the fundamental rights of the affected data subjects,” according to the agency.
ANPD also imposed a daily fine of 50,000 reais (about $9,100 as of July 18) for non-compliance and gave Meta five additional days to demonstrate compliance with the decision.
Meta expressed disappointment with ANPD’s ruling, calling it “a step backwards for innovation, competition in AI development, and further delays in bringing the benefits of AI to people in Brazil.”
The use of personal data to train AI systems without users’ explicit consent or knowledge has raised significant privacy concerns. This issue has prompted U.S.-based tech giants to halt the rollout of their tools in regions with stringent data privacy laws, such as the European Union.
In June, Human Rights Watch reported that personal photos of Brazilian children had been included in image caption datasets like LAION-5B, potentially exposing them to exploitation and harm through malicious deepfakes.
Apple, which announced a new AI system called Apple Intelligence last month, has stated that it will not bring these features to Europe this year due to regulatory concerns related to the Digital Markets Act (DMA). Apple expressed concerns that the interoperability requirements of the DMA could compromise user privacy and data security.
Meta has also confirmed to Axios that it will withhold its upcoming multimodal AI models from customers in the European region due to the “unpredictable nature of the European regulatory environment.”
 in Brazil following a preliminary ban by the country's data protection authority, which objected to Meta's new privacy policy.){kind=link}