Irish Watchdog Puts Grok Under Fire, Takes Musk’s X to Court Over EU User Data

Key Takeaways

• The Irish Data Protection Commission is seeking a court order preventing X from training its AI on user data.
• How AI training fits within the GDPR framework has yet to be tested in court.
• In response, X said the DPC’s action was unwarranted and overbroad.

Social media platforms’ use of user data to train AI is under increased scrutiny in the EU, particularly from the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC), which oversees X and Meta.

After asking Meta to suspend its AI training plans in June, the DPC is now taking X to court, claiming Musk’s “everything app” denied its requests to stop training models such as Grok on EU user data. 

AI Training and the GDPR

Under the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), companies must obtain explicit consent before processing personal data. For social media platforms, this means users must opt to have their data collected for processing. 

How AI training fits within the regulation’s framework has yet to be tested in court, and questions over when and in what way its rules apply remain unanswered.

In June, the DPC objected to Meta’s AI training policy because it would automatically enroll users in its data collection program. Users would have to opt-out to be disenrolled.

The latest action against X and Grok stems from a similar complaint: users must opt-out rather than join X’s AI training programs. 

DPC Seeks Order Suspending X AI Training

In its action, the DPC is seeking orders against X that will prohibit it from processing user data for AI training. 

According to local media , High Court Justice Leonie Reynold granted the DPC permission to serve notice of the injunction over X before the matter returns to the Court later this week. 

Meanwhile, the social media company said it intends to challenge the DPC’s claims.

X Objections

In a statement, X Global Affairs said , “The order that the Irish DPC has sought is unwarranted and overbroad and singles out X without any justification. This is deeply troubling.”

The firm said its communications with users have been transparent about how it uses their data. It asserted that it gives users “a simple control”  to select whether their public posts and engagement activity is used to train AI.

The statement claimed that “while many companies continue to scrape the web to train AI models with no regard for user privacy, X has done everything it can to give users more control over their data.” 

AI Features Delayed for European Users

After Meta and Apple already delayed the rollout of new AI features for European users, X could become the latest casualty.

With Grok 2 currently scheduled for release this month, the DPC has said the planned launch complicates legal questions arising from X’s data processing.

Any court order could potentially deny X a valuable data source and undermine owner Elon Musk’s plans to develop the world’s most powerful AI by December.

About the Author

James Morales

Although his background is in crypto and FinTech news, these days, James likes to roam across CCN’s editorial breadth, focusing mostly on digital technology. Having always been fascinated by the latest innovations, he uses his platform as a journalist to explore how new technologies work, why they matter and how they might shape our future.

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