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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
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Chris Stokel-Walker

Posting ‘Goodbye Meta AI’ is pointless. But we can stop big tech stealing our Facebook pictures

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg at the Meta Connect annual event in Menlo Park, California, 25 September 2024
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg at the Meta Connect annual event in Menlo Park, California, 25 September 2024. Photograph: Manuel Orbegozo/Reuters

If you’ve spent any time on Instagram or Facebook lately, you will probably have encountered concerned citizens sharing posts denying Meta, the parent company of both platforms as well as WhatsApp, the right to use their data to train AI systems.

If it wasn’t your slightly oddball old schoolfriend who posted the message, which begins “Goodbye Meta AI” and concludes “I do not give Meta or anyone else permission to use any of my personal data, profile information or photos”, then it’ll have been a Hollywood celebrity. Actor James McAvoy and former NFL player Tom Brady are among those who have posted the disclaimer.

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