Meta Admits Using Australian Public Data for AI

Meta has faced criticism for confirming that all public posts and photos from adult Australian users on Facebook and Instagram, dating back to 2007, have been used to train its artificial intelligence models. During an inquiry, global privacy director Melinda Claybaugh acknowledged this data collection, despite initial denials, stating that users had no option to opt out, unlike those in Europe and the US. This has raised concerns about user consent, especially since Meta can utilize publicly shared content from minors if set by parents. Additionally, Meta has modified its AI labeling system, making labels for edited images less visible, which has sparked debate over transparency and creator rights. Critics argue that this change may be an attempt to appease content creators who do not want their work associated with AI-generated content. The company has not provided clarity on how the collected data will be used moving forward, leaving many questions unanswered.