High-profile figures like actors Julianne Moore and Ashley Tisdale were among over 600,000 users who have shared a viral post on Instagram supposedly revoking Meta’s permission to train its AI tool using their private data. The post says: “Goodbye Meta AI. I do not give Meta or anyone else permission to use any of personal data, profile information or photos”.
This attempt at resistance is ineffective; the viral Instagram story is just a recycled version of an older meme that does not hold up as a legitimate refusal of Meta’s new AI policy, as confirmed by Meta sources to Sky News. This erroneous tactic is now being tagged as “false information” by Instagram fact-checkers.
In the coming months, Meta is set to use public posts and details from UK Instagram and Facebook profiles to refine its artificial intelligence, known as Meta AI. The implementation of these new guidelines was initially intended for June but has been postponed due to alterations required by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
As a result of these modifications, objecting to the policy changes is now “even simpler, more prominent and easier to find”, Meta reports. Facebook and Instagram will soon roll out notifications outlining the updates and directing users to the objection form. Those who have previously logged objections through the old approach will not be alerted.
Meta has stated that it will “honour their choice” and users will be excluded from the training data by default. The objection form has been simplified, now requiring only three clicks and an email address to remove access to your data. Anything not public, such as private posts and messages, will be excluded from the data used to train Meta AI.
While Meta has adjusted its AI policy for UK accounts, some suggest it is holding out in the European Union (EU) because it is not joining a new pact for companies using AI. Earlier this year, the EU passed a set of laws called the EU AI Act, which regulates how AI can be used and grades different AI uses based on their risk to society.
Companies operating in the EU, including Meta, have to conform to these rules, which are gradually being implemented. More than a hundred companies have already signed up to the pledge, which was announced on Wednesday. However, Meta did not sign up. In a statement to Sky News, the company said it is “focusing on our compliance work under the AI Act at this time” but did not rule out joining the pact in the future.