Germany: Hamburg Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information issued guidance on Meta's data processing for AI training

On 15 April 2025, the Hamburg Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (HmbBfDI) issued guidance on Meta’s planned use of personal data for artificial intelligence (AI) training and informed users of their right to object. Meta’s AI training, originally scheduled for 2024, was postponed following concerns raised by the Irish Data Protection Commission regarding legal basis and transparency. Meta now plans to begin using the publicly accessible Facebook and Instagram data of adult European users from the end of May 2025. To prevent this, users must actively object. The HmbBfDI stressed that objections must be submitted before the end of May 2025, as data already used for training cannot be removed from AI models afterwards.