| schema:text
| - SUMMARY
This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.
Claim: Facebook users must post a statement on their profiles to bar Meta and its generative artificial intelligence (AI) models from using their “photos, information, messages or posts, past or future.”
Rating: FALSE
Why we fact-checked this: The Facebook post bearing this claim has garnered 14,000 reactions, 373 shares, and 72 comments as of writing. The account that posted it has 1.2 million followers.
A post from another account containing the statement that “prohibits” Meta from using account data has also gained 1,300 reactions, 661 shares, and 620 comments. The statement, reposted by several other Facebook accounts, consistently mentions Meta AI.
The notice reads: “Goodbye, Meta AI. Please be aware that an attorney has advised us to share this message, as failing to do so could lead to legal repercussions. Since Meta is now a public entity, all members are required to post a similar statement. If you do not post at least once, it will be assumed that you consent to the use of your information and photos. I do not grant Meta or anyone else permission to use any of my personal data, profile information, or photos.”
The facts: Posting the statement on one’s Facebook profile does not affect a user’s privacy preferences, which can be changed through the profile account settings or Facebook’s Privacy Center.
A Meta spokesperson told the BBC that posting or resharing the notice “does not count as a valid form of objection” against Meta using users’ posts to train its AI models.
According to Meta, it uses only public information, including photos and text from Instagram and Facebook, to train its generative AI models. Users can manage audience settings on their posts, manage past activity, or submit an objection request to opt out of having their information used to train AI models.
In an explainer from The Guardian, Meta-aligned fact-checking site Lead Stories said an iteration of the hoax came from a status posted on September 1, 2024. The article added that other “Goodbye Meta AI” messages claim to protect Instagram and WhatsApp accounts as well.
These posts surfaced after Meta updated its privacy policy in June 2024, saying the company plans to use public social media posts for its AI training datasets.
Similar hoaxes: The “Goodbye Meta AI” notice is an iteration of similar hoaxes that have resurfaced almost every year since 2012. Rappler debunked one such claim in 2023.
Other fact-checkers from international news organizations like EuroNews, Snopes, and Yahoo have addressed variants of this claim.
The hoax uses a copy-and-pasted statement to spread the claim, also known as a “copypasta.” According to Snopes, it is “one of the most persistent forms of misinformation.”
Bitdefender, a cybersecurity company, says that reposting such statements can also make users a target for scammers and expose them to data loss and identity theft risks.
Previous fact-checks: Rappler has debunked other claims using copypastas and chain messages to spread false information:
- FACT CHECK: ‘Privacy note’ to stop use of Facebook photos, info is fake
- FACT CHECK: Message promising P1,000 monthly pension for all seniors not from NCSC
- FALSE: Filipinos ‘free to roam, can watch news’ during Martial Law
- FALSE: Kim Atienza, BBC ‘reported about phone emitting radiation’
- FALSE: Heat, garlic, ginger can prevent COVID-19
– Shay Du/Rappler.com
Shay Du is a graduate of Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program. This fact check was reviewed by a member of Rappler’s research team and a senior editor. Learn more about Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program here.
Keep us aware of suspicious Facebook pages, groups, accounts, websites, articles, or photos in your network by contacting us at factcheck@rappler.com. You may also report dubious claims to the #FactsFirstPH tipline by messaging Rappler on Facebook or Newsbreak via Twitter direct message. Let us battle disinformation one Fact Check at a time.
Add a comment
How does this make you feel?
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
|
![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)
![[cxml]](/fct/images/cxml_doc.png)
![[csv]](/fct/images/csv_doc.png)
![[text]](/fct/images/ntriples_doc.png)
![[turtle]](/fct/images/n3turtle_doc.png)
![[ld+json]](/fct/images/jsonld_doc.png)
![[rdf+json]](/fct/images/json_doc.png)
![[rdf+xml]](/fct/images/xml_doc.png)
![[atom+xml]](/fct/images/atom_doc.png)
![[html]](/fct/images/html_doc.png)