Facebook wants to access photos in your phone's camera roll for AI features

People object to AI being trained on content that they post on social networks, but now Meta has gone a step further. Facebook is asking users permission to access photos that are on their phone, for Meta's AI.

Users say that when they tried to post a new story on Facebook, a pop-up appears and asks if the user wants to opt into "cloud processing", which will allow creative suggestions. Choosing to allow it will grant access to your camera roll, i.e. images which you have never shared online.

Do you understand what that means? You don't even have to share a picture online, if it exists on your phone, the AI can access it. Meta will then use your images to create new ideas like collages, recaps, AI restyling, themes, etc. The problem is that the images will be sent to Facebook's servers on an ongoing basis, based on info like time, location, themes. Facebook says only the user can see the suggestions and that the media is not used for ads targeting. Does this also apply to WhatsApp, and Instagram?

One user says that Meta created an AI-generated "Memories" notification with an anime version of an image that he posted on Facebook. Another user from Europe replied to the post saying that a mail from Facebook and Instagram asked for permission to use photos, and that it had an option to object (decline). It is unclear if users from other regions have received similar notifications, from what I can tell the email seems to have only been sent to users in the EU.

TechCrunch reports that by tapping "Allow" when Facebook requests access to the Camera roll, users agree to Meta's AI terms of service, which means it can analyze your media, facial features, etc. It also gives Meta the right to retain and use any personal data you have shared to train its AI. And of course, the data will be reviewed, meaning Facebook employees could have access to the data.

Some users have advised disabling the option labeled "Get camera roll suggestions when you're browsing Facebook", which can be found under the Camera Roll. To access the option go to the top of your feed, tap + Create Story. Then tap on the cog wheel icon, and select the Camera Roll Sharing Suggestions.  You may notice a second option on the same page, this is the one that lets you disable "Get creative ideas made for you by allowing camera roll cloud processing". You may also want to check the official help documentation.

A Meta spokesperson told TechCrunch that "We’re exploring ways to make content sharing easier for people on Facebook by testing suggestions of ready-to-share and curated content from a person’s camera roll. These suggestions are opt-in only and only shown to you, unless you decide to share them, and can be turned off at any time. Camera roll media may be used to improve these suggestions, but are not used to improve AI models in this test".

That's not very reassuring. In fact, here's a screenshot from my friend's phone, who said, and I quote, "The setting was pre-enabled".

What will it take to convince users not to use social networks, and AI?

Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post Facebook wants to access photos in your phone's camera roll for AI features appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

---

☞ El artículo completo original de Ashwin lo puedes ver aquí