Your Data, Their AI: Meta's New Controversy and What You Can Do About It

Web3, AI and the creator economy in under 3 minutes per week!

Author

Shira Lazar
June 09, 2024

Hey, Alpha Fam!

Meta is under fire once again, and this time, it's about something that hits close to home for all of us—our personal data. Imagine posting your favorite vacation photo or sharing a heartfelt status update, only to find out later that Meta has been using your content to train their AI systems. 

Your photos, your posts, and your creativity all feed the ever-growing AI machine, and they haven’t made it easy to opt out.

This revelation has sparked a wave of backlash across Europe and the US. Users are outraged, and rightfully so. Opting out of this data collection isn't just a simple click—Meta has made the process challenging.

As data security and privacy become increasingly critical issues, this news has reignited the conversation about how our information is used, especially in the realm of artificial intelligence.

Artists are particularly concerned. Many have started to boycott the platform to protect their artwork from being used without consent to train AI. 

Companies like Meta need to be crystal clear about their terms and conditions, especially when it comes to our personal information and AI. 

While Meta hasn’t made it straightforward, here's a quick guide to opt out of this data usage:

  1. Visit the Help Center: Go to the Help Center on Facebook or Instagram.

  2. Search for Data and Privacy: Find options related to data usage and privacy settings.

  3. Submit a Request: Follow the steps to submit your opt-out request, providing necessary details like your country and email.

  4. Confirm via OTP: Enter the one-time password sent to your email to confirm your decision.

Once done, you'll get a message stating that Meta will review your submission as soon as possible. This means it's entirely up to Meta to decide whether to allow you to opt out, which shouldn't be the case according to GDPR.

Why This Matters

This isn’t just about one company’s policy—it’s about the larger conversation around data security and the ethical use of AI. As we move further into the digital age, protecting our work, our personal moments, and our creativity is more important than ever. We deserve transparency and the power to choose how our data is used.

🔥 My Hot Take: I believe all platforms should be transparent. However, we can't expect to use these platforms freely without them taking something from us—it's their business model. A potential win/win scenario could be allowing users to monetize the data they provide to platforms. This model isn't mainstream yet, but it could be a game-changer if someone figures it out.

Moreover, if your work is online and public, ChatGPT will probably train you on it, too. Nothing is sacred anymore. As we look to the future, we need to call forth these platforms and consider these realities.

Shira Lazar

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Gentle reminder:

Do your passions always need to lead to making money?

Sometimes, it's perfectly fine to just love something and enjoy it.

However, it's also true that doing hard work becomes easier when you're passionate about it.

Remember, I'm Bullish on you!

With gratitude,