Meta To Train Their AI With Users’ Personal Data, But Makes It Difficult To Opt Out Of It

The following report is by Reclaim The Net:

Anyone with even some cursory knowledge of how user interface/experience (UX) but also user behavior works will tell you that “default (settings) is king.”

That is why the ability to “opt-out” (that is, remove yourself from a feature baked in as default) although it seems fair enough at first glance, is actually often a deliberate choice to harm users’ interests, by banking on their inertia.

But then when even that option is degraded to what some refer as “nearly impossible to opt out” – things start looking really bad.

They get even worse when you learn that this concerns your personal data being used to train AI models. And by none other than that paragon of habitual disrespect for user privacy and security, Meta.

SEE: Meta Launches ‘Link History’ Tool For Facebook That Tracks Where People Go Online

This is what Instagram and Facebook users in the EU (and the UK) are being told about the whole “operation”: “We’re getting ready to expand our AI at Meta experiences to your region.”

But “your region” – i.e., the UK and the 27-member bloc, have some fairly strict legislation in place, at least formally, to protect privacy and security of online data. And so the Meta message sent to them continued:

To help bring these experiences to you, we’ll now rely on the legal basis called legitimate interests for using your information to develop and improve AI at Meta. This means that you have the right to object to how your information is used for these purposes. If your objection is honored, it will be applied from then on.

“If your objection is honored” – might just be the most bizarre example of corporations trying to get “opt-out” to mean squat.

Outrageous as this looks, that’s by no means the end or the worst of the story: if you’re not in the UK or the EU – you won’t even get the “courtesy” of this notification that’s wrong to begin with, in so many ways.

That’s because the EU has legislation supposed to strongly protect privacy, GDPR, and the UK, after leaving the bloc, enacted much the same rules.

In other words, elsewhere in the world, you don’t even know what new ways Meta has found to, eventually and effectively, monetize your data without your knowledge.

And now for the real point of the story: how will the EU (and the UK) react to all this?

Always quick to turn the screw on Meta in a bid to make it expand its censorship – will these governments even react to the giant making a mockery of their data protection laws by adding a gazillion hurdles to the “opt out” process?

AUTHOR COMMENTARY

I think its becoming more and more generally understood the social media platforms, websites, telecommunications and companies are readily distributing our private information for a price. They were not supposed to, but now companies are just casually admitting that they will be overtly doing it, and there is not a lot that can be done about that other than not use them.

This part of the broader meaning of the “You’ll own nothing and be happy” mantra, where all your private information and transactions are available for a price.

Proverbs 28:20 A faithful man shall abound with blessings: but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent.

[7] Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges? who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock? [8] Say I these things as a man? or saith not the law the same also? [9] For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen? [10] Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope. (1 Corinthians 9:7-10).

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