The British data privacy authority has taken action against Snap Inc., the American camera and social media company, by issuing a preliminary enforcement notice. This notice comes in response to concerns that Snap may have failed to conduct a thorough assessment of the privacy risks associated with "My AI," a generative AI chatbot integrated into its application.
The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), responsible for enforcing the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), emphasized the heightened data protection risk posed by "My AI," particularly in how it handles the data of users aged between 13 and 17.
A preliminary enforcement notice serves as an alert to the company about the potential actions the ICO may require based on Snap's response. If a final enforcement notice is eventually issued, Snap could be compelled to cease processing data related to "My AI" within the United Kingdom, as stated in the ICO's press release.
Should this scenario unfold, Snap would be unable to offer the "My AI" product to its UK users until a comprehensive risk assessment is conducted.
In response to the ICO's preliminary action, a Snap spokesperson conveyed their commitment to user privacy and stated that "My AI" had undergone a rigorous legal and privacy review process before being made publicly available.
The "My AI" product was introduced to UK Snapchat+ subscribers in February, marking it as the first instance of generative AI integrated into a major messaging platform in the UK. The feature, utilizing OpenAI's GPT technology, was subsequently extended to the entire Snapchat user base in April.
As of May, Snapchat boasted more than 21 million monthly active users in the UK.
The ICO emphasized that the findings remain provisional, cautioning against drawing any conclusions regarding potential data protection breaches or the issuance of a final enforcement notice at this stage.
The ICO will thoroughly evaluate Snap's response before making a decision on a final enforcement notice.
John Edwards, the UK Information Commissioner, expressed concern over Snap's failure to adequately identify and assess privacy risks associated with "My AI" before its launch, as indicated by the preliminary findings of their investigation.
The ICO's press release underscored the importance for organizations engaged in the development or use of generative AI to consider their data protection obligations from the outset of their projects.
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