Meta Scraped Years of Facebook and Instagram Data for AI

Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has admitted to scraping all public posts made on these platforms since 2007 to train its generative AI model. This revelation has raised significant privacy concerns and contrasts with Apple’s approach to AI development.

While Meta previously acknowledged plans to use user data for AI training, the company did not disclose the extent of its data collection efforts until recently. In an Australian investigation, Meta’s global privacy director, Melinda Claybaugh, admitted that the company has been scraping public posts, photos, and comments for nearly 17 years.

This practice has raised concerns about privacy and the potential for misuse of user data. Meta’s decision to use publicly available content for AI training without explicit user consent has been criticized by many.

While the company was legally required to offer opt-outs in the EU and UK, the legality of making it opt-out rather than opt-in is currently under investigation. In the US, Australia, and other regions, no such opt-out option was provided.

Meta has clarified that it did not scrape the accounts of users under the age of 18. However, it acknowledged that photos of children posted by parents on their own accounts were included in the data collection.

The admission of Meta’s extensive data scraping practices has sparked further debate about the ethical implications of using user data for AI development. As AI technology continues to advance, it is crucial for companies to prioritize user privacy and transparency in their data collection and usage practices.