It’s too late to opt out of Meta’s AI training | TechCrunch Minute

Summary

Meta has confirmed that it uses publicly shared Facebook and Instagram posts, dating back to 2007, for AI training. This disclosure came during an Australian inquiry where Meta’s Global Privacy Director acknowledged the practice, clarifying that only public posts are included, and minors' content is excluded. While users can switch their posts to private, this won’t remove past data from AI training. In contrast, the EU allows users to opt out of AI training, and Brazil has banned it entirely, prompting criticism of Australia’s weaker privacy protections.

Takeaways

• 🤖 Meta uses Facebook and Instagram posts to train its AI models, which likely includes your content.
• 📢 Meta had previously announced that user content and data are used for AI training.
• 🇦🇺 Meta's Global Privacy Director Melinda Kayba confirmed that most public posts from Australia have been used for training since 2007.
• 🛑 Posts from users under 18 are excluded from the AI training datasets.
• 🔓 Only public posts are used for AI training, and users can set their accounts to private to opt out of future data usage.
• 📅 Changing privacy settings now won't undo the AI's learning from past public posts.
• 🛡️ EU regulations allow users to opt out of AI training, while Brazil has banned Meta from using its citizens' data for AI training.
• 🇦🇺 Australian lawmakers have not protected privacy in the same way as European and Brazilian regulations have.
• 📸 Even public posts intended for sharing may be used in ways users don't expect, such as for AI training.
• 🗣️ This situation highlights the need for greater control over how user-generated content is used on major platforms.

Q & A

What is Meta using to train its AI models?

Meta is using Facebook and Instagram posts, specifically content and data from public posts, to train its AI models.

What did Meta's Global Privacy Director, Melinda Kayba, confirm regarding the use of user content?

Melinda Kayba confirmed that public content from both Facebook and Instagram users has been used to train Meta’s AI models since 2007, unless the posts were set to private.

Are posts from users under 18 used in Meta’s AI training?

No, posts from users under 18 are not included in the AI training data.

Can users prevent their posts from being used in AI training by changing their privacy settings now?

No, changing your privacy settings now won't reverse the AI’s learning from previously trained posts. However, it can prevent future posts from being used.

What option do European Union users have regarding the use of their content for AI training?

Users in the European Union have the option to opt out of having their data used for AI training, thanks to EU regulations.

Has any country taken more drastic measures to protect user data from AI training?

Yes, Brazil has banned Meta from using its citizens’ data for AI training.

What was Australian Senator David Shoubridge's main concern about Meta's use of data?

Senator David Shoubridge expressed concern that Meta is scraping all public posts from Facebook and Instagram in Australia since 2007 without users’ explicit consent, unless their posts were set to private.

How did Senator Shoubridge compare Australia’s privacy protections to those of the European Union?

Shoubridge argued that European lawmakers have protected users' privacy better than the Australian government, as EU users have the option to opt out of AI training.

What’s a potential complication for users regarding public posts and AI training?

Users may want to share their posts publicly but not necessarily want their content used for AI training, creating a privacy dilemma.

What does this situation highlight about users' control over their content on large platforms like Meta?

It emphasizes that users do not have full control over how their content is used once it's posted on large platforms like Meta, especially for AI training.