Meta’s Expansion of A.I. Services Sparks Privacy Concerns
Last month, Meta made headlines when it announced its plans to expand its artificial intelligence services around the world. The company informed users in Europe that it would be using their public information to train its A.I. services starting on June 26. This move raised privacy concerns and backlash among users, who questioned where the policy change would next be implemented.
The notifications sent to users of Facebook and Instagram in Europe revealed that their public posts could be utilized to train Meta’s A.I. services, including its chatbot. While users in the United States may not have been notified, Meta has already been using public posts to train its A.I., taking advantage of the less strict online privacy laws in the country.
Privacy watchdogs have expressed concerns about the data usage, citing a lack of specifics about how Meta will utilize people’s information. However, Meta insists that it is complying with privacy laws and that the data gathered will enhance services for users in specific regions.
Meta’s chatbot, powered by its new large language model LLaMA 3, is designed to respond to user prompts across various platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram. Similar to other popular A.I. assistants like Siri and Alexa, Meta’s chatbot aims to provide relevant and informative responses to user queries.
The chatbot learns from a vast data set of text online, including information from web pages, books, articles, and social media posts. While Meta assures users that only anonymized and aggregated data from public posts is used for training its A.I. models, concerns remain about the extent of data collection and its potential implications.
For users in the U.S., opting out of data sharing may not be straightforward, as there are no specific privacy laws governing this practice. However, Meta has provided in-platform tools for users to manage their data and delete personal information shared with Meta A.I. Users in the European Union, Britain, the European Economic Area, and Switzerland have the option to opt out of data sharing.
To opt out of data sharing in Europe, users can visit the Meta Privacy Center from their Facebook account and adjust their data settings accordingly. Additionally, users can submit a request to opt out through the GDPR settings on the platform.
Despite Meta’s efforts to comply with privacy laws and provide opt-out options for users, concerns persist about the company’s data usage practices. Watchdog groups like NOYB have raised alarms about the potential misuse of data and the lack of transparency regarding Meta’s intentions.
As the debate over online privacy and data usage continues, users are encouraged to stay informed about their rights and options for protecting their personal information in the digital age.
