Meta admits to using Australian users' data for AI training
Meta has confessed to using the public data of all Australian adult users on its Facebook and Instagram platforms, for artificial intelligence (AI) training purposes. The revelation was made during a recent inquiry, where the company also acknowledged that it does not provide an opt-out option for Australians. This is in contrast to its policy in the European Union, where users can refuse consent due to stricter privacy laws.
Meta's Global Privacy Director confirms data usage
Melinda Claybaugh, Meta's Global Privacy Director, initially denied using the data of all Australians for its generative AI tools. However, she later confirmed that unless users had set their posts to private since 2007, Meta has been scraping all photos and texts from every public post on Instagram or Facebook. This confirmation came in response to Greens Senator David Shoebridge's challenge during the inquiry.
No opt-out option for Australians
Claybaugh admitted that the opt-out options provided to Europeans were not offered to Australians. She explained this was due to an ongoing legal question in Europe regarding the interpretation of existing privacy law with respect to AI training. In contrast, Australian users only have the ability to set their data private but cannot opt out completely from having their public data used for AI training purposes.
Meta's data requirements for AI tool development
Claybaugh stated that Meta requires a significant amount of data to develop the most "flexible and powerful" AI tool possible. She emphasized that this extensive data is necessary to deliver a safer product with fewer biases. This statement underscores the company's reliance on user data for its technological advancements, particularly in the field of AI.
Concerns over privacy laws and data protection
Senator Shoebridge expressed concerns about the lack of stringent privacy laws in Australia. He stated, "There's a reason that people's privacy is protected in Europe and not in Australia, it's because European lawmakers made tough privacy laws." He further criticized the government for its failure to act on privacy issues, allowing companies like Meta to continue exploiting images and videos of children on Facebook.
