Meta wants to use your content to train its AI, and no GDPR will stop it
Don’t want to train AI with your content? You’ll have to fill out a form.
Image by Cybernews
Don’t want to train AI with your content? You’ll have to fill out a form.
Meta has announced that, starting May 27th, 2025, it will use Instagram and Facebook users' data to train its AI.
Social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook are ideal sources of data because of all the content that their users generate and share, as well as the conversations they have with Meta AI.
How can Meta gather this data without user consent? It stands its ground on “legitimate interest under the GDPR,” which allows organizations to process data without explicit consent from users.
Nevertheless, Meta gave its users time to decide whether they agreed to the company’s new terms.
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How can users opt out of Meta’s AI training?
Instagram and Facebook users have been receiving messages once they open their app, as well as emails about the changes that would “develop and improve Meta’s artificial intelligence,” reports Numerama.
Users can decline their data being used by filling out two separate forms, each dedicated to Facebook and Instagram users, unless they have a linked account. Those who have their Meta accounts linked only need to fill out one form.
Once that is done, users will receive an email stating that the company won’t be using their interactions with Meta AI or their public information shared on these platforms to train its AI.
What kind of information will Meta use to train its AI?
In one of the forms, the company shares that it will be using publications, photos and their captions, conversations with AI, comments, audio files, and messages sent to Meta.
The company claims that the contents of private and end-to-end encrypted conversations won’t be used.
Despite some users opposing data collection, Meta shared some instances where information related to them can be exposed to AI. For example, if a picture of them is posted by another person who didn’t opt out of Meta using their data.
Declining certain features has been a thing for Meta users since the company announced a new WhatsApp feature, Meta AI chatbot, which later came to Instagram and Messenger. It also started a discussion among users who demanded the possibility of disabling the feature.