High-profile personalities such as actors Julianne Moore and Ashley Tisdale were among the more than 600,000 Instagram users who shared a viral post claiming to revoke Meta’s permission to use their private data for training its AI tool. The post states, “Goodbye Meta AI. I do not give Meta or anyone else permission to use any of my personal data, profile information or photos.” However, this move is futile as the viral Instagram story is merely a recycled version of an older meme and does not legally prevent Meta from utilising user data for its AI, as confirmed by sources to Sky News. Instagram fact-checkers are now tagging this tactic as “false information.”
Meta plans to utilise public posts and details from UK Instagram and Facebook profiles to enhance its artificial intelligence, known as Meta AI. Despite originally aiming for implementation in June, Meta has postponed the rollout due to adjustments required by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). Meta has reported that objecting to the policy changes has now become “even simpler, more prominent and easier to find” following these modifications. Facebook and Instagram are set to send out notifications detailing the updates and guiding users to the objection form. Users who previously objected through the old method will not be alerted.
To honour users’ choices, Meta will automatically exclude objectors from the training data. The simplified objection form now only requires three clicks and an email address to restrict access to personal data. Private posts, messages, accounts marked as private, and those of under-18 individuals will also be excluded from the data used to train Meta AI. Users can preemptively object by visiting Meta’s “privacy centre” in their settings and clicking on the “object” link at the top.
While Meta has adjusted its AI policy for UK accounts, it has not yet signed up for a new pact for companies utilising AI in the European Union (EU). The EU recently enacted the EU AI Act to regulate the use of AI and classify different AI applications based on their societal risk. Meta, alongside other companies operating in the EU, must comply with these rules, which are gradually being enforced. Meta commented that it is concentrating on compliance work under the AI Act but did not rule out potentially joining the pact in the future. Meta sees potential in AI to drive European innovation and competition, offering a significant opportunity for the EU.
In an ongoing effort to keep up with the latest news, readers can sign up for the WalesOnline newsletter to receive updates directly in their inbox. By continuing to adapt to evolving regulations and user preferences, Meta is striving to maintain transparency and user privacy while navigating the complex landscape of data usage and artificial intelligence.