Meta suspends generative AI tools in Brazil over privacy dispute with government

Meta Platforms, Inc. has suspended the use of its generative AI tools in Brazil following a Brazilian government backlash over its privacy policies related to personal data. The move impacts a large market where Meta planned to introduce AI-driven ad targeting on WhatsApp and Messenger.

Meta suspends use of generative AI tools in Brazil | Image Source: Unsplash

The most important information

Brazil’s National Office for the Protection of Personal Data (ANPD) has put Meta’s new privacy policy on hold, citing concerns about the use of personal data to train artificial intelligence.
Brazil, with over 200 million inhabitants, is Meta’s second-largest WhatsApp customer base after India.
Meta held an event in São Paulo to showcase its AI-powered ad targeting program for businesses on WhatsApp and Messenger before the ANPD intervened.

New Delhi: Meta Platforms, Inc. on Wednesday decided to halt the use of its generative AI tools in Brazil due to government opposition. The Brazilian government objected to the company’s privacy policies regarding personal data and AI.

Brazil is a significant market for Meta, as the country has a population of over 200 million and is WhatsApp’s second-largest customer base after India. The company held an event in Sao Paulo, Brazil, to showcase its first AI-powered ad targeting program for businesses, which will be available across Messenger and WhatsApp.

The Brazilian National Data Protection Authority (ANPD) has immediately stopped Meta’s new privacy policy that allegedly uses personal data to train generative AI systems in the country. The organization has also ordered Meta to change its privacy policy and eliminate the use of personal data to train generative AI, in accordance with the Brazilian government.

Meta said it had decided to postpone the use of generative AI tools until the ANPD clarified its concerns about the matter.

Meta Platforms, Inc. is an American technology company formerly known as Facebook, Inc. that creates technology-based services that help connect people, create and explore communities, and grow businesses. Social media platforms such as Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp are owned by Meta.