Ireland DPC launches probe into X over AI training practices

GlobalData

Mon, Apr 14, 2025, 2:56 AM 2 min read

Ireland's Data Protection Commission (DPC) has initiated an inquiry into X, Elon Musk's social media platform, over its processing of European users' posts for training its AI model, Grok.

The investigation will assess compliance with key General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) provisions, focusing on the lawfulness and transparency of data processing, the Irish watchdog said.

The EU's AI Act, which introduced various rules and requirements for tech regulation, took effect last year, causing concern among tech executives.

Previously, the Irish DPC had compelled X to halt data harvesting from European users for Grok.

X has temporarily suspended data use for Grok training following the initial notification.

Grok, developed by xAI, comprises a group of AI models, including Large Language Models (LLMs) used for powering a generative AI querying tool available on the X platform.

These LLMs are trained on diverse data sets.

The probe will examine the use of a subset of data controlled by XIUC, focusing on personal data from publicly accessible posts by EU/EEA users on the X platform.

The DPC aims to determine the lawfulness of processing this personal data for training Grok LLMs.

The decision to conduct the inquiry under Section 110 of the Data Protection Act 2018 was made by Commissioners for Data Protection, Dr Des Hogan and Dale Sunderland, and was notified to XIUC In April 2025.

In February 2025, Canada’s privacy watchdog initiated a probe into X for potential breaches in AI training data usage.

The probe by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada assessed whether X as violated privacy rules by using Canadians’ personal data to train AI models.

Mandated by the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), the probe is focused on determining if X has complied with federal privacy laws regarding the collection, usage, and disclosure of Canadians’ personal data for AI model training.

"Ireland DPC launches probe into X over AI training practices" was originally created and published by Verdict, a GlobalData owned brand.

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