A viral Instagram hoax has misled hundreds of thousands of users, including celebrities, into believing that reposting a post will prevent Meta from using their personal data for AI training. The false post claims that not reposting will give Meta permission to use their data, but fact-checkers have confirmed that this is not true.
The misleading post, which has been shared widely, is an example of “copypasta,” where text is copied and pasted across the Internet, often spreading misinformation. While reposting the statement won’t actually stop Meta from using data for AI training, users in Europe can object through their account settings to prevent their information from being used.
Meta has confirmed that they use public content from Facebook and Instagram for training their AI models, but private messages are not included. Users in the EU and the UK have a more direct way to opt out of data usage through their account settings by filling out a form.
In response to the hoax, Meta has sent notifications and emails to users in Europe, providing a link to the objection form. They have stated that they will honour all objections and that data from those who object will not be used for AI training. Celebrities like Julianne Moore, Sarah Paulson, James McAvoy, and Tom Brady have shared the false post, contributing to its spread on social media.
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