In the wake of Meta's recent announcement about changes to their data privacy policy, a viral post has been circulating online claiming that resharing it can protect your social media data from being used to train AI. While the sentiment behind this post is understandable, it's essential to know that it is just a viral hoax.
Simply re-sharing the post doesn't automatically offer additional legal protection regarding your data. It may even do the opposite and expose your personal information.
Understanding the Hoax
The "Goodbye Meta AI" post claims that sharing it will prevent Meta from using your data to train AI systems. Well, this is entirely false, as despite being shared by countless users, including celebrities, it isn't a legitimate way to protect your data from Meta's AI.
The post also claims that an attorney advised sharing it to avoid legal consequences. However, this is also not true.
The Truth About Meta's Data Usage
Meta uses shared data to train its AI models publicly, and this practice is not new. The company has been transparent about its data usage policies for some time.
This viral "Goodbye Meta AI" post attempts to create a sense of urgency and fear.
How to Protect Your Privacy?
If you are concerned about Meta using your data, there are some effective ways to protect your privacy.
- Adjust Your Privacy Settings: Facebook and Instagram offer privacy settings that allow you to control who can view your posts, messages, and other information.
- Limit Your Public Information: be careful about the information you share publicly on social media. Don't post sensitive details like your address, phone number, and date of birth.
- Use a VPN: It will encrypt your internet traffic and make it difficult for Meta and others to track your online activity.
Can I opt out of Meta AI Training?
Yes, it's extremely easy to opt out of Meta AI training, which allows using posts, images, and online tracking data to train its AI large language model LLaMa 3.
- Open the Meta Privacy Center on your Facebook account.
- Click Data Settings and turn off Facebook activity.
- Next, select Manage your data and turn off Data sharing and AI model training.
- On Instagram, click on Settings > About > Privacy Policy.
This viral "Goodbye Meta AI" Instagram post has misled many people – but now you know better. While it's important to be aware of privacy concerns and take steps to protect personal information, resharing that particular post will not help.