Privacy at stake as social media platforms use user data to train AI, says watchdog

Privacy Commissioner Ada Chung Lai-ling has expressed concerns over institutions utilizing users’ personal data to develop artificial intelligence models, reminding them of the importance of complying with data protection laws and relevant guidelines.

Her comments came as the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data (PCPD) has issued a joint statement with 15 data protection agencies from countries including  Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom to major social media platforms regarding data scraping and privacy protection. 

The statement calls for regular security updates in response to advancements in data scraping technology and artificial intelligence (AI) in order to prevent illegal data extraction.

Read more: PCPD issues joint statement with 15 countries about social media data scraping concerns

Speaking on a radio program Wednesday morning, Chung said with the rise of artificial intelligence in recent years, especially generative AI, it is observed that a large amount of personal data or other information is required to train these AI models.

She mentioned that users' personal data may be collected in large quantities by third parties through automated processes for various purposes. Some are for legitimate research purposes, while others are for illegal activities - such as dark web sales.

The privacy watchdog suggests that relevant organizations adopt multiple security measures, and regularly review and update these measures. These platforms can also consider using AI technology to enhance their defenses against illegal data extraction.

Meanwhile, Chung said Hong Kong does not have legislation dedicated to artificial intelligence, but that does not mean that the development or use of AI is unregulated, as existing privacy laws and legislation protecting intellectual property rights apply.

She believes that it would be beneficial to examine how other jurisdictions regulate AI through legislation before considering future directions in Hong Kong.