A formal complaint against Meta has been filed in Argentina, highlighting concerns about the misuse of personal data from WhatsApp and other platforms for AI training without proper user consent. The complaint, brought forward by lawyers specializing in data protection, Facundo Malaureille and Daniel Monastersky, seeks to address these practices under Argentina’s Personal Data Protection Law (Law 25,326), which has remained unchanged for over 20 years.
Complaint Details
The 22-point complaint demands Meta Argentina provide:
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- Evidence of user consent related to updates in the Privacy Policy.
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- A Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) that aligns with Argentine regulations.
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- Technical details on anonymization processes and measures to prevent data re-identification.
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- Information on the handling of metadata and sensitive data during anonymization.
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- Policies on data retention and destruction.
The complaint also urges the authority to perform an independent audit of Meta’s data practices and establish national standards for data anonymization, which align with Argentina’s legal framework.
Complainants’ Statements
Monastersky, who directs the Center for Cybersecurity Studies, emphasized that Argentinians should not be treated as “guinea pigs” in the absence of modernized data protection laws. He stressed the importance of updating Law 25,326 to better protect citizens from the risks posed by the expansive reach of multinational tech companies like Meta. International Context Recently, Brazil’s data protection authority (ANPD) ordered Meta to halt its AI training on user data in the country and imposed potential fines of R$50,000 per day for non-compliance. Similarly, the Brazilian Prosecutor’s Office demanded a fine of R$1.733 billion against WhatsApp for alleged privacy violations. In Europe, Meta decided not to launch its new Llama 3.1 AI models due to the stringent regulatory environment, fearing penalties under the GDPR.
Read more here (in Spanish).
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