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Microsoft and Google are using people’s personal data without proper consent to train artificial intelligence models, alleges Barings Law, as it prepares to launch a legal challenge against the tech giants
By
Sebastian Klovig Skelton, Data & ethics editor
Published: 27 Nov 2024 11:30
A Manchester law firm has started on-boarding clients for a probable class action against Microsoft and Google, which it believes to be unlawfully collecting and using peoples’ personal data to train their artificial intelligence (AI) models.
Following a two-year-long investigation into the data practices of the tech giants, Barings Law believes the extensive information being collected about users – including voice data, demographic data, app usage information, metadata, payment details and a range of other personal details – is potentially being shared for the training and development of various AI large language models (LLMs).
Barings claims this is all happening without proper authorisation or consent from users , as while they may understand data is being collected, they may be unaware of the role this data plays in the training of AI LLMs.
“Both companies are collecting data such as the sports teams you follow, the programming languages you prefer, the stocks you track, your local weather or traffic, the route you take to work and what your voice sounds like,” said Adnan Malik, head of data breach at Barings Law. “We are shocked and disgusted to learn about the level of data that has been and continues to be collected.”
Malik added that while the proliferation of AI is transforming the world as we know it, the development of the technology must not come at the expense of people’s right to privacy.
“Individuals have the right to know what data of theirs is being stored and what it is being used for,” he said. “They also have the right to opt out of their behaviours, voice, likeness, habits and knowledge being used to train AI for the profit of tech giants.
“As technologies continue to develop, individual data has become the most valuable commodity in the world. We know that it’s illegal to steal commodities like money, gold and oil. As a society, we cannot accept that it’s acceptable to steal the commodity of personal data.”
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