NOYB Challenges Meta’s AI Data Plans

By Elke Porter | WBN News Global | May 15, 2025

On May 14, 2025, NOYB (None Of Your Business), an Austrian privacy advocacy group, announced plans to seek an injunction against Meta Platforms, potentially triggering billion-euro damages claims.

noyb is the brain child of Max Schrems, a lawyer and privacy activist. In addition to Max, the Board of Directors consists of Christof Tschohl, a lawyer and privacy expert and Petra Leupold, a lawyer and consumer rights expert. The ordinary members of noyb include Members of the European Parliament, Experts from the European Commission, Law Professors and IT-specialists. Ordinary members of noyb meet in a general assembly every two years.

NOYB leverages best practices from consumer rights groups, privacy activists, hackers, and legal tech initiatives to form a robust European enforcement platform. The group targets Meta’s plan to use personal data from 400 million European Instagram and Facebook users, starting May 27, to train generative AI models and tools shared with third parties.

NOYB’s cease-and-desist letter demands Meta halt these plans by May 21 or face legal action. Meta cites “legitimate interest” under EU privacy rules as its legal basis, offering an opt-out form and excluding private messages and data from users under 18. NOYB, however, argues this violates the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), citing a 2023 European Court of Justice ruling rejecting Meta’s similar claim for personalized advertising.

Schrems advocates for an opt-in model and anonymized data to ensure compliance. Utilizing GDPR’s enforcement mechanisms, NOYB submits complaints to local authorities and files court procedures, following a strategy of targeted litigation to strengthen privacy rights.

A successful injunction could halt Meta’s AI training in Europe and spark a class-action lawsuit under the EU Collective Redress Directive, with damages potentially exceeding €200 billion. This follows NOYB’s 2024 complaints, which temporarily paused Meta’s AI data use. The case could redefine how tech giants handle personal data for AI development in the EU, reinforcing the region’s stringent privacy standards.

#Meta AI #NOYB #Data Privacy #GDPR #Privacy Litigation #AI Regulation #WBN News Global #Elke Porter

Connect with Elke at Westcoast German Media or on LinkedIn: Elke Porter or contact her on WhatsApp: +1 604 828 8788