Meta's AI Controversy: How Your Public Facebook and Instagram Posts Power Their Models

Thursday, 12 September 2024, 08:04

Meta's AI has been fed on all text and photos publicly posted since 2007, raising significant privacy concerns. The controversy revolves around Meta's admission during an inquiry that public posts and comments on Facebook and Instagram are utilized for generative AI training. Users, unless they consciously set their posts to private, unknowingly contribute to this vast data pool. Privacy regulations in Europe differ, creating an uneven global landscape of data protection.
Theverge
Meta's AI Controversy: How Your Public Facebook and Instagram Posts Power Their Models

AI Privacy Concerns Raised by Meta's Data Practices

Meta has faced significant backlash after revelations that all publicly posted content on Facebook and Instagram since 2007 has been utilized to train its generative AI models. This controversial practice, highlighted in a recent inquiry, showcases how user-generated content is scraped from public posts, often without explicit user consent.

Details of the Scraping Revelation

  • Melinda Claybaugh, Meta's global privacy director, acknowledged this practice under questioning.
  • Users must set their posts to private to prevent scraping of previously public content.
  • Data collections date back to 2007, raising ethical concerns, especially for minors.

Global Privacy Implications

  1. European users can opt out of data scraping due to robust regulations.
  2. Australian users, unlike their European counterparts, currently lack similar protections.
  3. The disparity in privacy regulations has resulted in ongoing debates about data exploitation of children on digital platforms.

For those interested in pursuing more details about this unfolding situation, we recommend visiting the source for updates and insights.


This article was prepared using information from open sources in accordance with the principles of Ethical Policy. The editorial team is not responsible for absolute accuracy, as it relies on data from the sources referenced.


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