Caution: Meta AI can scan the phone's gallery, your photos will be used to train AI..

Meta is once again at the center of privacy controversies. So far, it was clear that Meta is using our publicly shared data, such as photos posted on Facebook and Instagram, to train its AI model (Meta AI), but now the matter has become more serious. According to the latest reports, Meta now wants full access to your phone's camera roll, that is, even those photos of yours that you have never shared on Facebook or Instagram.

What is the matter?

According to a TechCrunch report, recently, some Facebook users saw a pop-up in which they were asked to turn on a new feature, "Cloud Processing". At first glance, this feature seems quite beneficial. Facebook says that with this, it will be able to automatically scan the photos in your camera roll and upload them regularly to Meta's cloud. In return, users will get creative features like photo collages, event recaps, AI-generated filters, and themed suggestions for occasions like birthdays or graduations.

But what is the real danger?

When you turn on this feature, you allow Meta to analyze non-shared private photos on your phone as well. Meta AI scans the faces, objects, location, date, and other metadata present in these photos. Its purpose is to make its AI model smarter. Meta says that this is an opt-in feature, that is, it will not be turned on without the user's consent, but if we look at Facebook's past record, it becomes difficult to trust people's privacy.

Old controversies are also worrying.

Meta has already admitted that it has used all the public data uploaded on Facebook and Instagram since 2007 to train its generative AI models. But the question is, what is the definition of "public"? And who were considered adults in the data since 2007? Meta never gave a clear answer to this.

Now that the new Cloud Processing feature has arrived, it is not clear whether these private and unpublished photos of users will also be used in AI training. Meta's AI team, while talking to The Verge, clearly said that at present, such photos are not being used in AI training, but they did not answer the question of what will happen in the future.

What is the solution to this?
If you do not want your private photos to go to Meta's cloud, then you can disable the Cloud Processing feature by going to the settings. Meta says that if a user turns it off, then their unpublished photos will be deleted from the cloud within 30 days.

Caution is necessary
In this era of AI, tech companies are investigating how much data they can collect from users. On one hand, this new feature of Meta has been given in the name of convenience, but on the other hand, it is blurring the boundaries of our privacy. Earlier, where posting photos was a conscious decision of the user, now that process has started happening quietly in the background. The invisible eyes of AI can now keep an eye on your private moments also.

Disclaimer: This content has been sourced and edited from Amar Ujala. While we have made modifications for clarity and presentation, the original content belongs to its respective authors and website. We do not claim ownership of the content.