How to stop Facebook and Instagram using your posts for AI - icons

How to stop Facebook and Instagram using your posts for AI

Meta are allowing Facebook and Instagram users to opt out of their posts and content being used for generative AI training. For content creators it’s their own hard work, for individuals it may be their private photos, but you can see why you’d want to stop them being able to do so.

It’s not the easiest process it could be, but it is pretty straightforward for those based in the UK and EU – and you need to act before 26 June. I explain how below.

How to opt out of Facebook and Instagram using your posts for AI

You may have received an email like the one below, or a notification in your app, for your Facebook or Instagram accounts.

You can tap or click on ‘right to object’ to start the process to stop them using your content for AI training.

If you haven’t received this email and want to try to appeal against it, try this link.

I have found that for one account, I’ve not received any notification, by app or email, and when I tried going directly to the appeals page, I wasn’t allowed to access it.

How to stop Facebook and Instagram using your content for IA training: appeal page won't load

How to explain why you want to stop Meta using your posts Facebook for AI

You should see a page called ‘Object to your information being used for AI at Meta’.

How to opt out of Facebook and Instagram using your posts for AI training: Meta objection page

Select your country and enter the email associated with your account – you have to repeat this process for each individual account, unfortunately.
The section ‘please tell us how this processing impacts you’ may feel overwhelming, but I’ve tested different approaches with my personal and professional accounts.
I found that both these worked for me:

I am a content creator and put a great deal of original research and time and effort into my work and retain copyright for this. I object for it being used without payment.

These are my personal photos and information behind a private account that I do not want to be used publicly.

Although Meta warns, “We’ll review objection requests in accordance with relevant data protection laws. If your request is honored, it will be applied going forward”, I’ve not had a request turned down for the UK.

But that’s not it: Meta will send a code to your email associated with your account to complete the process – this comes through quickly, though.

 

 

How do I know if Meta won’t use my Facebook and Instagram photos and posts for its AI training?

The good news, you don’t have to wait for long. In all the times I used it, confirmation that my request had been approved came through within 20 minutes.

How to stop Facebook and Instagram using your posts for AI training: Meta email approving my request

How can I stop Meta using my data for AI training if I don’t live in the UK or EU?

PCWorld has reported on a potential solution: a Meta help center page where you can submit a request to access, delete, or file a complaint about personal information “from third parties being used to develop and improve AI at Meta”: https://www.facebook.com/help/contact/510058597920541

How to stop Facebook and Instagram from seeing data shared by sites about your online activity 

But you may want to go further while you’re at it, and stop specific sites from sharing data with Meta about your online activity.
Mashable highlighted this page called ‘Off Facebook activity’ , where you can choose to disconnect specific sites that share data with Meta, clear previous activity, and manage future data sharing.
Off Facebook activity page to stop sites sharing information about you with Meta
It’s not clear how much this would stop this data being used for AI training, but Meta does state that “information shared on Meta’s Products and services” could be used.

 

Users are getting more protective about how their data is used

With generative AI needing ever more content to feed its development, and a rise in more privacy-aware users, I think we will see an increase in people becoming more selective about how they share their personal data, and especially their content.
It is good that Meta is being clear about giving users an opt-out to have their posts not used for gen AI training, as many sites may have not made their users aware before. But I’m not sure what the opt outs are for business pages.