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Slack is now using all content, including DMs, to train LLMs (mastodon.sdf.org)

submitted 5 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

39 comments fedilink hide all child comments

They offer a thing they're calling an "opt-out."

The opt-out (a) is only available to companies who are slack customers, not end users, and (b) doesn't actually opt-out.

When a company account holder tries to opt-out, Slack says their data will still be used to train LLMs, but the results won't be shared with other companies.

LOL no. That's not an opt-out. The way to opt-out is to stop using Slack.

https://slack.com/intl/en-gb/trust/data-management/privacy-principles

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[–] [email protected] 11 points 5 months ago (2 children)

The entire gdpr. You can't repurpose user data after the fact, and that includes the purpose of usage, but also the parties the data has been shared with. All these cookie banners have to state clearly "we're using this data from you and we're sharing it with these partners".

I'm pretty sure, that hardly any company lists Slack in their cookie banners or ToS. Thus, sharing any personal data with slack is forbidden. Usually, that was overlooked, because it's somewhat dubious if slack can be seen as actually "using" the data by just hosting whatever someone posts in a private message, but this announcement makes it very clear, that they intend to use this data.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 months ago (1 children)

The GDPR says that information that has been anonymized, for example through statistical analysis, is fine. LLM training is essentially a form of statistical analysis. There's hardly anything in law that is "simple."

[–] [email protected] 6 points 5 months ago (1 children)

It's not even the training. It's the extraction of the raw data.

You now store PII, that the clients can't delete anymore (which in itself is a violation) and then do "something" with it. Whether it's for AI or word counting doesn't matter. You store PII that is not under the control of your clients anymore and you store PII without the P whose I could be used to I them having ever been informed.

Also, whether AI training is actually legally anonymization is still up to debate, as far as I know.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago

Assuming it is PII when you store it. This is a complicated discussion that will absolutely come down to what Slack can defend to a regulator

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago

They could try to pass it as a legitimate interest but likely it would be struck as being ultimately disfavouring the individual and favouring the business. Probably.