As Meta rolls out an AI across Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp, your data becomes part of the training. So what happens when you want to opt out?
Using social media can be a bit of a time regardless of whether you’re doomscrolling or just looking for the latest goss on family and friends, but now you also have to deal with an AI assistant along for the ride.
Australians and New Zealanders may be waking up to the news that their social feeds now have AI built in, as the apps of Meta include the company’s new artificial intelligence system inside.
For some, it might be the first time they meet an AI system, as Meta makes this a part of how its social network works. With Meta AI, you can ask it questions, have it analyse your feed and give you assistance, and even have it make images for you, sort of like a free version of Midjourney, at least for now.
But for others, it might be a hassle; it’s another feature that could make your social feed worse off, and might even take your data for training purposes. So what can you do?
You could mute Meta AI
You can’t get rid of Meta AI from social apps Facebook’s Meta makes (yet), but you can mute it.
Simply head to the profile of Meta AI when you’re calling it up, and look for the “mute” button. That will let you silence the thing, and there’s also a block option.
As to whether either of these will prevent Meta AI from getting truly involved, we have our doubts. This is clearly a part of how Meta’s apps and websites work, and while it can provide assistance and image generation, it will also very likely train the large language model (LLM) that Meta uses.
Your data being used for training purposes is part of how Meta will improve its AI, and likely find better ways to market to you, as well.
But if you’re not a fan of your data being used in this way, you can also fill out a form.
Tell Meta you don’t want your data used
While a tussle with governments over consumer rights and their data is probably on the cards in the future, right now your only way to let Meta know that you don’t want your data used is a form.
Yep, a form. There’s no switch to remove yourself, or even a set of links inside Facebook’s settings as there is with all the privacy and security features available inside the network.
Rather, you need to fill out the Facebook Generative AI Data Subject Rights form, and request to have Meta’s team find out whether its AI models know anything about you.
We have to hope Meta’s support personnel will get back to you in a timely manner, or even that it would be truthful in honouring these requests, but right now, the Subject Rights Form is the only option available if you don’t want Meta to use your data, and we’re not even sure how reliable it will be.
Neither of these are real opt out approaches per se — that doesn’t exist yet — but they are something.
