Every so often a viral message declaring that Facebook and Meta don’t have permission to access users’ photos and content infects feeds around the world.
It doesn’t work, and never will – but that doesn’t stop new versions of the debunked meme from appearing; this time, it’s taking aim at Meta AI and how it uses your data for training.
Why posting “I don’t give Facebook permission” doesn’t work
In short, posting this message to your Facebook feed does nothing because Facebook or Meta’s terms and conditions don’t work that way. If you’re using the platform, you’re automatically giving Meta permission to use your data, images, interactions and more to help shape its product and sell advertising.
The original version of this message targeted Meta’s (then still named simply “Facebook”) general data collection, suggesting that if you post the message to your wall, Meta will automatically stop using your data. Of course, it doesn’t work that way, and Meta’s data collection remains as intensive as ever.
While the overall message is completely bogus, the assumptions about how Facebook works are also completely wrong: copying and pasting a message does not “upgrade the system.”
Why this viral message started again
This time, the message targets Meta AI, Meta’s artificial intelligence chatbot that the company is pushing across all of its products. Many people who use Meta products like Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram are unhappy with this integration, both the tools and the data collection needed to train the AI tools.
The rise of Meta AI has given rise to a new viral message that users have to post to their walls.
How Meta users can opt out of AI data training
The big difference with Meta AI’s data training is that there’s actually a way to opt out of having your data used. At least, depending on where you live.
Unfortunately, at the present time, US-based Facebook users cannot opt out of Meta’s AI training data collection. Data collection and privacy laws in the US are extremely weak and therefore don’t require Meta to tell you how to protect your data.
However, if you’re in the EU or UK, the Facebook Data Subject Rights form will actually tell Meta that you don’t want them to use your data.
The skeptical side of me thinks this is a placebo, but the EU’s GDPR is so strong that Meta has to offer this option. But for the rest of the world, the only way to avoid Meta’s data collection is to remove yourself from its platform, which, frankly, is easier said than done.