Meta will soon start using public posts from these platforms to help train and improve its artificial intelligence (AI) systems. Users can opt out of this data usage by filing a form
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, will soon start using public posts from these platforms to help train and improve its artificial intelligence (AI) systems.
This change will take effect on June 26, as indicated by a new notification sent to European users of the Instagram and Facebook mobile applications, but it will happen with all users.
The data will include posts, photos, captions, and messages sent to an AI, but not the content of private messages, according to Instagram’s help center.
Meta stated last week that it would begin informing users in the UK and EU about how their public information shared on Meta’s products and services will be used to develop and improve AI, all within the scope of their respective privacy laws.
Is This GDPR Compliant?
Under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), companies can process personal data if they have a “legitimate interest” in doing so. Meta has cited this legal basis for its use of public data to develop and improve AI.
Users can opt out of this data usage by filing a form with Facebook or Instagram, although the Facebook form is currently unavailable.
“We’ll review objection requests in accordance with relevant data protection laws. If your request is honored, it will be applied going forward,” the forms state.
However, even if you opt out, your data could still be used by Meta if you appear in someone else’s shared image or are mentioned in another user’s posts or captions.
Regulatory Scrutiny and User Notifications
Meta has provided users with a four-week notice period before the initial AI training begins.
Meta also says that only public posts (not comments) from users in the EU will be used, and that data from accounts of users under 18 will not be included.
Meta is heavily investing in AI research and product development, as stated in a press release last month. The company has developed its own large language model (LLM) called Llama. The latest version, Llama 3, was released in April and is used to power Meta’s assistant, Meta AI, which is not yet available in Europe.
Meta has previously used Instagram and Facebook posts from public profiles to train its AI assistant, according to Reuters. However, this data was not included in the dataset used to train Llama 2.
Additionally, Meta is developing the necessary infrastructure for AI workloads and recently introduced its custom-made chips to support these efforts.