You Can’t “Opt Out” of Meta’s Generative AI

Many people are just discovering that Mark Zuckerberg has declared war on the intellectual property of all Meta users. The new terms of service for Facebook, Instagram, and Threads declares the following:

A highly misleading blog post by a well-meaning author recently went viral. It supposedly tells people how to opt out of Meta using our post and photos to train generative AI. The problem is that the well-meaning author conflates personal data (e.g., birthdate, address, phone number, etc.) with intellectual property (i.e., your posts and photos). They are absolutely not the same thing. If you follow the instructions she gives, she merely leads you to a place on Facebook where you can report that you have seen your personal data appear in output from Facebook’s generative AI.

The truth is: in the United States, Meta users cannot opt out of generative AI. It’s currently impossible.

But Who Can Opt Out of Generative AI?

Only people in the European Union and the UK can opt out of Meta’s generative AI. Thanks to General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR), they are protected.

Louder for those in the back: in the United States, Meta users cannot opt out of generative AI. It’s currently impossible.

So, if you live in the United States, what can you do about this?

There are answers. Some are hard and take action. I’m not gonna lie to you. I’m not gonna say I did the work for you so you don’t have to figure it out. You are going to have to do the work. And if you care about yourself and humanity, you will do it.

Option #1: Set your account to private

This isn’t a great option for those of us who rely on social media for business contacts. It’s especially shitty if you are an author or artist. But it is an option. And Facebook has gotten wise to this, so they’ve made it extra hard. You now really have to dig in the privacy settings, and it doesn’t say “set account to private.” It says friends-only.

Do it.

Option #2: Delete your account

I’m not being flippant when I suggest that you delete your account. Maybe you have lots of family and friend connections on Facebook. I get it. But maybe we need to dial back from this site that does nothing but violate us year after year. Maybe it’s not worth it. There must be other ways to stay in touch.

Option #3: Contact your representatives and senators

If you want this shit to stop forever, contact your congressional representative and your senator. Write an email to them and say the following:

Dear ,

Mark Zuckerberg is violating the copyright of his users with his latest change in terms of service for Meta. The new terms of service states that he has a right to copy our posts and photos into his generative AI product, Llama, without our consent. He gave no notice that this would start. And users in the United States have no way to opt out.

We feel deeply betrayed. This is very similar to what happened with Cambridge Analytica, the data analytics firm that exploited the personal information of millions of Facebook users without their consent. This time, however, it’s not a third-party. It’s Meta itself violating our rights.

Users in the UK and European Union are allowed to opt out of the generative AI thanks to the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR). We in the United States need the same protections offered by GDPR. It is absolutely unacceptable that we are seeing a repeat of Cambridge Analytica, this time with our intellectual property. It’s clearly not enough that Mark Zuckerberg shows us ads. He has to steal our memories, too, all so that he can imitate us with his products. It is presumptive and hubristic that he declares generative AI is “good for humanity.” It’s only good for his bank account.

We demand that you immediately propose legislation similar to GDPR that will stop this abuse.

Sincerely,

Democracy is a verb, not a noun

Why should you believe me? I’ve seen some insanely great shit happen while working with grassroots organizations that have had a huge positive impact on California. I can tell you with 100% certainty that you can create change if you tell elected officials what you want. Repeatedly. That’s how they know how to act. That is how democracy works. If the elected officials don’t do what you want, you vote them out. But you have to let go of any shitty jaded thinking you have and tell them. You have to.

Otherwise, tech companies — and everyone else — will just eat us alive.

Stop being lunch.