We will not be dictated to by tech giants, says Albanese government

The Albanese government says it will not be ‘dictated to by multinational tech companies’ after Meta warned against ‘overly broad’ privacy laws so that it could use personal data to train its AI models.

Attorney-General Michelle Rowland. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

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The Albanese government says it will not be “dictated to by multinational tech companies” after Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta warned against “overly broad” privacy laws so that it could use personal data to train its artificial intelligence models.

Privacy Commissioner Carly Kind has also delivered a stinging warning to Meta, warning that the direction of the privacy reforms would not limit the tech juggernaut’s ability to train AI models but instead “declining public confidence that AI tools and systems are being designed to benefit society” would be what undermined such efforts.

The backlash came after The Australian revealed Meta had urged the Australian government to avoid privacy laws that would stop it from using its own users’ data to train AI.

Meta said discourse that took place on its platforms – which include Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp – “represents vital learning on both how individuals discuss Australian concepts, ­realities and figures, as well as, in particular, how users of our products engage”.

“This means that authentic and effective learning to ultimately power meaningful products of communication is best realised from training that includes those discussions and artefacts themselves,” Meta wrote in its submission to the Productivity Commission’s five-pillar productivity inquiry. “Although there are databases of information that may not contain personal information, like Australian legislation, there are limits to the utility of such corpuses.

“Human beings’ discussions of culture, art and emerging trends are not borne out in such legislative texts.”

Attorney-General Michelle Rowland said the “Albanese government will not be dictated to by multinational tech companies on privacy reform” and pledged reform “fit for the digital age”.

“We know that Australians are sick and tired of their data being compromised and exploited at the hands of third parties,” she told The Australian.

“Updated privacy protections do not need to come at the cost of innovation and efficiency – they can be complementary.

“In our first term, the government delivered an initial tranche of privacy reform through the Privacy and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2024.

“The government is continuing work on a further tranche of reforms to ensure Australia’s privacy laws are fit for purpose in the digital age.”

Opposition legal affairs spokesman Julian Leeser also stressed the need to protect Australians in privacy law reform, and urged the government to release an exposure draft for wide consultation. “Privacy reforms need to be just as much about protecting the privacy of Australian families as they are about facilitating a dynamic and competitive economy,” he said. “Any changes to our privacy laws will have far-reaching consequences.

“I believe the government needs to release an exposure draft bill prior to introducing anything in the parliament to ensure the broadest range of Australians and other stakeholders can provide input and ensure unintended consequences are avoided.”

Ms Kind warned Meta that there was “nothing” in Australian government guidance that would “prevent Meta from developing AI that reflects the language and experience of Australian users, provided the proper processes are followed”.

“What will undermine the ability of actors like Meta to continue to develop AI models is declining public confidence that AI tools and systems are being designed to benefit society.

“The privacy reforms proposed for Australia would be world-leading in their emphasis on ensuring the handling of personal information is fair and reasonable, rather than enabling digital platforms to ‘consent their way out’ with lengthy terms and conditions … impenetrable for most users.

“Australians care a lot about their privacy, and want more choice in and control of how their personal information is handled.

“They are sceptical about the rollout of artificial intelligence without proper guardrails.”