Meta wants to upload every photo you have to its cloud to give you AI suggestions

Jump to First Reply
AppleInsiderAppleInsider
Posted:
in General Discussion edited June 27

Meta's latest feature gives Facebook the power to continuously upload your private photos to its cloud -- even the ones you never intended to share. Here's how to stop it.

Text 'Meta AI' above a gradient arc transitioning from blue to pink on a light background.
Image credit: Meta



In a time where internet users are goaded into giving away their data to nearly every company, Meta has decided to take it several steps further. It wants you to give Facebook access to your entire camera roll and allow it to upload your photos to its cloud.

The "feature," spotted by TechCrunch has recently begun rolling out to users. When creating a story, a prompt pops up and asks users to opt into "cloud processing."

While that sounds innocuous enough, it becomes less so once you read what Meta means by that. In its own words, it says:

"To create ideas for you, we'll select media from your camera roll and upload it to our cloud on an ongoing basis, based on info like time, location, or themes."

While it claims that the images won't be used for ad targeting, it still doesn't make us feel particularly good. Even more so when you delve into the Meta AI terms of Service and see their liability clause.

If you opt into this new feature, just remember that you're giving Meta full access to all the images on your camera roll, including ones you most definitely don't want anyone else to see. And not only are you giving it access, you're giving it the right to upload those images into its cloud.

Considering Meta's history with protecting user data, we'd strongly suggest opting out of cloud computing. After all, it was less than a year ago that we found out Meta had been storing over half a billion users' passwords in plain text.

And, considering Meta also owns Instagram, it wouldn't be unheard of for the changes to apply to Instagram as well. If you use either app, be sure you read any pop-up feature opt-ins -- companies frequently try to downplay the extent to which they'll use your data.

Three smartphone screens display Facebook's story creation and privacy settings, including text and toggle options for camera roll suggestions and cloud processing.
How to revoke Facebook's cloud processing permissions



In the event that you -- or someone you know -- opts in and wants back out, you can revoke consent at any time. Here's how to do it:

Important: These settings can only be modified on a mobile device, like your iPhone, via the Facebook app. You cannot revoke permissions from a desktop browser.

How to revoke Facebook cloud processing permissions on iPhone

  1. Open the Facebook app

  2. At the top of the screen, tap +

  3. Tap Story

  4. In the top right corner, tap the Settings cog

  5. At the bottom of the screen, tap Camera roll settings

  6. Toggle off Get creative ideas made for you by allowing camera roll cloud processing


Read on AppleInsider
ForumPost

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 10
    mrstepmrstep Posts: 542member
    Lol, I remember Facebook asking for users email account info and passwords during account creation so they could secretly scan their entire mail history and get information about all of their contacts.  Anyone using a Meta app or service should expect to be the product. Google as well.
    williamlondonmattinozdewmeForumPostAlex1NbaconstangToroidalAlex_V
     8Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 2 of 10
    anthogaganthogag Posts: 124member
    I don't use any services Meta offers and I get by just fine. People should dump all Meta services to protest Meta's relentless advance towards destroying data privacy. Meta is most likely feeding all the data they can get to further their AI research. Eventually they will try to use your data against you.   
    williamlondondewmeForumPostAlex1NbaconstangToroidalAlex_V
     7Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 3 of 10
    charlesncharlesn Posts: 1,542member
    anthogag said:
    I don't use any services Meta offers and I get by just fine. People should dump all Meta services to protest Meta's relentless advance towards destroying data privacy. Meta is most likely feeding all the data they can get to further their AI research. Eventually they will try to use your data against you.   
    AMEN. I cannot believe the idiots buying Meta's Dumb Glasses. Oh yes, sign me up to give the biggest corporate abuser of consumer privacy--a business for which abuse of consumer privacy is a foundation of its business model--complete access to what I see, say and hear in my life. Yeah, definitely, I wanna pay for that privilege. Meta Dumb Glasses no longer allow you to opt out of having your voice recordings stored on Meta servers--nothing nefarious about that!--and the same is true for video and still photographs unless you disable the "Hey, Meta..." voice activation, which of course puts a major hit on the useful functionality of the glasses. This is Meta's idea of "consumer choice" -- turn the product you just bought from us into near useless crap OR give us access to the cameras and allow us to store what you see, record and photograph. 
    anthogagwilliamlondonForumPostAlex1NToroidal
     5Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 4 of 10
    libertyandfreelibertyandfree Posts: 231member
     Never trust the Zuckerberg with anything so important and private. 
    Alex1NbaconstangToroidal
     3Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 5 of 10
    JamesCudejamescude Posts: 113member
    In other news, grandma what big teeth you have.
    chasmAlex1Nbaconstangwebweasel
     4Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 6 of 10
    chasmchasm Posts: 3,778member
    Oh HELLS to the no on this one. This article made me double-check my settings for FB, and I'm glad to report that I had already turned this crap off long ago.

    I use FB begrudgingly at best, but it must be said it's (thus far) the best way to keep in touch with people you want to keep in touch with. Filtering the junk out is difficult, but possible.
     0Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 7 of 10
    charlesncharlesn Posts: 1,542member
    chasm said:
    but it must be said it's (thus far) the best way to keep in touch with people you want to keep in touch with. 
    Yeah, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. How about... Email? Texting? FaceTime? Phone call? Zoom cocktails? Meet ups in person? I ditched all Meta apps years ago and I have zero problem keeping up with the people who are important to me. Don't let "convenience" be your reason for contributing to Zuckerberg's businesses built on abuse of consumer privacy. 
    edited June 28
    baconstangbonobobToroidal
     3Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 8 of 10
    rotateleftbyterotateleftbyte Posts: 1,648member
    Around here, Facebarf is for Boomers who have nothing better to do. (Yes, I'm old enough to be a boomer)
    All my family was once on the platform—the operative word is 'once'—but now they are all on BlueSky.
    I did sign up for MySpace back in the day, but that only lasted a month or so. Now, I do other things with my life rather than scroll through endless posts of utter drivel. My 4th Novel has just been uploaded for printing.


    williamlondon
     0Likes 1Dislike 0Informatives
  • Reply 9 of 10
    Restrained_Nicholasrestrained_nicholas Posts: 12member
    Thanks for pointing this out.

    Am I right that if you don't allow Facebook access to your photos and videos that you're safe?

    'Cause the only settings I see are about who can see your Story.
    captmacguy
     0Likes 0Dislikes 1Informative
  • Reply 10 of 10
    lordjohnwhorfinlordjohnwhorfin Posts: 917member
    I don’t need Meta to upload all their photos to me in order to give them a natural intelligence suggestion: F right off.
     0Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
Sign In or Register to comment.