Instagram users are sharing dubious images in the hope they’ll opt out of the platform’s controversial AI policy — but Stories posts aren’t helping.
Instagram and Facebook users in the UK earlier this month started receiving notifications alerting them to the official changes. As part of the new rules, Meta plans to feed AI photos and posts shared by adults on social media platforms.
Privacy activists, including the Open Rights Group (ORG) and None of Your Business (Noyb), have criticized Meta’s plan. Regulators in the UK held back until recently.
Here’s what you can do to prevent AI Meta from ruining your data — and the details about those viral Instagram pictures.
What do viral Instagram pictures show?
Instagram templates that spread false claims about AI Meta policies can easily be shared in Stories and Reels.
Meta / Saqib Shah
Many Instagram users are tricked into posting images they believe will release their content from AI Meta data harvesting. The image is a solid block of text, laid out like a legal notice, but far from the real issue.
The statement on the image reads: “Goodbye Meta AI. Please note that our lawyers have advised us to do this, failure to do so may result in legal consequences.
“Since Meta is now a public entity, all members must submit the same statement. If you do not submit at least once, it will be considered that you are okay with using your information and photos. I do not give Meta or anyone permission to use my personal data, profile information or my photo.”
There are several signs that this is a hoax. At first glance, it looks like a classic example of copypasta, a 2000s-era trend that saw similar spam messages spread rapidly through email and Facebook. It is also repetitive, contains pseudo-legal nonsense, and is completely misleading.
The message states that “Meta is now a public entity,” although it made its Nasdaq debut in 2012 and changed its name to Meta in 2021 (changing its stock ticker from FB to MVRS, for “metaverse,” in the process).
Unspoken Instagram stickers will not prevent Meta from accessing your posts for AI training purposes. Below, we will reveal what is happening and how to stop it.
In an earlier email to non-UK users, Meta said it was “preparing to expand” its AI into other areas, including a new and improved virtual assistant and other features announced last year.
As part of the launch, it began to use user data for new purposes beyond targeted advertising; that is, to train and improve artificial intelligence systems. This includes a large ChatGPT-style language model that has been released over the years, the most recent of which is Llama 3.
Virtually everything you share on Facebook and Instagram is available, from posts and photos (with captions) to messages sent by AI chatbots after they go live.
However, Meta has promised to “not use the content of private messages with friends and family” to power AI.
Meta recently canned AI chatbots based on celebrities and fictional characters
Meta
Is Meta allowed to do this?
To implement the new rules, Meta said it relied on a legal basis called “legitimate interest”, which essentially gives businesses a legitimate way to process user data without requiring explicit consent under the GDPR. So, EU and UK laws came into force in 2018 designed to strengthen online privacy and give more control over that information.
Although it’s not as simple as unchecking a box in your settings, there are ways you can try to keep your data from being entered by Facebook’s AI.
As required by the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation is a European Union law that governs how organizations collect, store, and manage personal data), Meta allows users to object to information being used in this way. To do so, you can fill out a short form on the Instagram website, which asks the reason why you want to opt out, with some personal information such as your country of residence and email.
Which one? magazine has details on how to find the Meta objection form here.
Meta said it would “consider objection requests under relevant data protection legislation” and would honor successful appeals “going forward”.
Meta began testing more generative AI features for the social network late last year, including search tools, advertising and business messaging
Meta
However, here’s what you can do: despite your protests, Meta can still use your data to train its AI in some cases, whether you use the platform or not. This will affect you if you appear in or are mentioned in posts, photos, and descriptions shared by Instagram and Facebook users.
What to say when opting out
Targeted ads are nefarious enough to make you feel like you’re being spied on, but how do you take issue with a supposedly benign AI model? Yes, it may help to understand how and when companies can use their legitimate interests before filing your objection request.
Is interest legitimate?
In general, the company must have a clear reason to process your data according to legal reasons of legitimate interest, to prevent fraud or to improve its services. At the same time, the business must demonstrate that processing data is necessary without the consent of the person. Importantly, they must also balance their reasons with users’ privacy rights. If the privacy risk is high, they cannot rely on legitimate interests.
All this must be done transparently and the user must be given the right to object to the data being processed.
Therefore, in this particular case, Facebook or Instagram users may express concern about the lack of control over how data is used in AI training. They could mention the potential for unintended consequences or misuse of data in future applications – after all, AI tools have been known to spread misinformation and even hatred in the past.
People might argue that Meta’s AI development process lacks transparency. Ask yourself: has the company made it clear exactly how your data is being used or what AI model it is providing?
You may need to suggest that Meta explore other data collection methods, such as anonymized data or synthetic datasets for AI training, instead of relying on personal information.
After all, other companies such as Google and Microsoft prioritize publicly available data for AI training over personal information. They also usually require explicit opt-in from the user before integrating the data into the training process.
What if your objection is rejected?
If you are unhappy with Meta’s response to your objection, you can lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the independent supervisory authority for data protection in the UK.. It can investigate Meta’s practices and potentially issue fines or enforcement.
While less common, you can explore legal action against Meta if you believe that the use of your data for AI training violates your privacy rights under the GDPR. This route is usually for more serious cases and can be expensive, so it is recommended to consult a lawyer who specializes in data privacy.
