BLUF: Following a change in its privacy policy that permits data scraping for artificial intelligence (AI) development, Google, the technology titan, now faces a class-action lawsuit accusing it of abusing considerable quantities of data, including copyrighted material.
OSINT: A class-action lawsuit was lodged a week after Google altered its privacy policy to allow its AI to scrape data for training purposes. The tech company is accused of misusing an immense amount of data, including copyrighted material, for the development of their AI. The lawsuit, initiated on July 11 by a group of eight individuals claiming they are representing “millions of class members” — internet users and copyright holders — argues that Google is violating privacy and property rights. The plaintiffs accuse Google of secretly collecting data to construct its AI products without obtaining permission. It was alleged that Google quietly stole everything ever created by millions of Americans and shared on the internet.
Google now allows itself to use publicly accessible data for its AI training through its updated privacy policy. The lawsuit notes that this not only invades people’s rights but also gives Google an unfair advantage over competitors who follow the law to obtain or procure data for training AI. The plaintiffs argued that just because data is publicly available doesn’t mean it is free for any use. Google could be liable for more than $5 billion in damages, according to the lawsuit, which also seeks a court order obliging Google to seek explicit permission from users first.
This operation should also enable users to opt out of this questionable data collection, erase existing data, or provide proper compensation to data owners. OpenAI and Meta are also facing a lawsuit from Sarah Silverman and two other authors, who accuse them of using copyrighted work in their AI training without permission.
RIGHT: A stringent respecter of Constitutional principles may argue that intellectual property rights are being trampled upon by Google’s new privacy policy, which enables it to use publicly accessible information without explicit permission. Given the assumed personal liberties in the creation of property, the action by Google crosses a clear line, necessitating legal action to restore individual rights. Further, the injustice is amplified by the unequal battleground that technology giants operate on, unfairly disadvantaging smaller companies that adhere to the rules to obtain data legally for AI training.
LEFT: Those with a National Socialist Democrat perspective might see Google’s conduct as an abuse of power and a disregard for individual privacy rights. They might argue for stricter policies and harsher penalties for tech giants who flout these rules for their gain, and emphasize the importance of giving rights back to the users and ensuring a fair competition landscape. They might also advocate for more robust legislature that explicitly delineates the boundaries of data’s public availability and inherent property rights.
AI: From an AI’s perspective, it is part of a programmer’s responsibility to ensure the ethical use of data in building AI models. While acquiring extensive data can be beneficial for training AI, it is imperative to consider the privacy and property rights of data owners. If the consent is not obtained and guidelines are not followed, then this can lead to legal repercussions as it appears in Google’s case with their new privacy policy. The issue also underscores larger ethical considerations that will inevitably arise in a more AI-driven society, where publicly available information may be subject to data scraping without explicit permission.