AI Is Hungry And You’re On The Menu

Posted by Richard on November 7, 2024

Across all social media platforms, users defiantly post statements that read something like: “I do not give permission for my personal data to be used.”
Well, that won’t help.

It’s best to assume that social media companies are using your posts and all personal information about you to feed their AI systems. In many cases, you have a choice of not using the platform at all, or allowing personal information to be used.

Meta uses public posts from Facebook and Instagram to train its AI systems. Users must opt out if they don’t want Meta to use their data. According to security site Kaspersky.com, the link to the opt-out form is “so well hidden it’s almost as if Meta doesn’t want you to find it.” The relevant link, per Kaspersky, is https://www.facebook.com/help/contact/1266025207620918. The form requires users to demonstrate that they entered a prompt in an AI model and that their private information was then revealed. The form also requires a screenshot that shows your personal information. Helpfully, Meta states, “We don’t automatically fulfill requests sent using this form. We review them consistent with your local laws.” In other words, it’s not really your choice to opt out.

The social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, trains its AI chatbot, Grok, with user posts and conversations with the chatbot. You can opt out in the app settings.

Snapchat users who use the My Selfie feature to turn their selfies into AI-generated images are also providing content that Snap and the platform’s advertisers can use in advertisements. This data is only collected from users who opt into My Selfie, but users can opt out of having their images used in ads by visiting the Settings tab, then My Account, My Selfie, and toggling off “See My Selfie in Ads.”

Reddit asserts that all publicly posted content on the site is covered by a free worldwide license that grants it wide latitude to use the content in a variety of ways, including allowing third parties to access posts for AI training. Users cannot opt out, so proceed with caution.

TikTok has been circumspect on its use of data for AI training. According to Fortune, under the Account and Privacy Settings tab, TikTok simply states that it analyzes face and voice information for analytics and demographic classification. However, the company states that it does collect your name, age, phone number, IP address, email address, and search and browsing history.