Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has faced scrutiny over its plans to train artificial intelligence models using public data from users. While European laws have led to a pause in these plans in the region, users in the U.S. have been subject to AI training since last year.
The proposed privacy policy update for European Union and U.K. users, which aimed to allow Meta to use publicly shared content for AI training, was met with opposition and has been postponed indefinitely in those regions.
Unlike other tech companies that rely on publicly available data from various sources, Meta's AI training involves using personal details posted on Facebook and Instagram, including photos, videos, and captions from public accounts. Private account information and direct messages are reportedly not used for AI training.
Concerns and Privacy Measures
Users in countries without strict data privacy laws, like the U.S., do not have a clear option to prevent Meta from using their data for AI training. To address this, individuals can make their accounts private or delete public posts to limit the data available for training.
Steps to Protect Your Data
For Facebook users, adjusting the audience and visibility settings to 'Friends' or 'Only Me' can restrict public access to posts. Instagram users can switch their account privacy settings to private to limit data usage for AI training.
Data Removal Services
While making accounts private can limit data usage by Meta, other tech companies may still access publicly available data. Consider investing in data removal services to monitor and remove personal information from various online platforms continuously.
Conclusion
The increasing use of personal data by tech companies for AI training raises concerns about data privacy and user control. Calls for stricter data protection laws in the U.S. to prevent exploitation of user data by big tech companies like Meta continue to grow.
