The company Meta, which owns some of the most well-known social networks, has started using the personal data of citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina without their consent, prompting a warning to be cautious sent to them on Monday.
Meta Platforms Inc, which owns the networks Facebook and Instagram, as well as the application WhatsApp, changed its privacy policy for users at the end of June and began using the data it has about them as tools for improving artificial intelligence.
The company informed users from EU member states about the change in privacy policy, but ignored those from some other countries, including the Western Balkans region and BiH, leaving them unaware that their data such as photos, videos, various posts, and comments are now being used to develop currently undefined and insufficiently explained artificial intelligence technologies.
The company previously explained that it is exploring the possibility of creating text, sound, images, and videos using artificial intelligence, and therefore collects publicly shared content that users share through its platforms.
The Agency for Personal Data Protection of BiH has therefore warned users of services provided by Meta to be cautious, as they have not been given the option to refuse such use of personal data, unlike users from EU countries, who were offered the option to withdraw their data from the planned training of artificial intelligence when logging into the disputed platforms.
This agency also emphasized that Meta has not provided them with representatives with whom they could discuss this issue and attempt to find a solution, and they have not received any response to the request for clarification sent at the end of July, leaving the personal data of BiH citizens currently unprotected.
– We expect that representatives of the company will address us in the near future to permanently resolve the issue regarding informing the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina about the data processing that Meta conducts and to ensure that citizens have identical rights to the protection of personal data and privacy as those enjoyed by citizens of the European Union – stated the Agency for Personal Data Protection of BiH.
