Instagram users still demand action after Meta AI opt-out option window closes

Many Instagram users want nothing to do with Meta AI, even if it's too late to prevent the company from using their posts.

Online content creators were devastated when Meta announced in May 2024 that public posts on Facebook and Instagram would be scraped and used to train its AI. Instead of prompting users to opt in to this update, the company announced accounts had until June 26 to opt out of the experience. This was not as simple of a process as some expected.

According to The New York Times, Meta users in Europe were notified about the update and given the option to opt out. But because different privacy laws exist in the United States, it seemed as though the company was already scraping users' information to train its AI chatbot even though it claimed to be adhering to the law.

Those who did have the option to opt out had to jump through a series of digital hoops to do so. Users began making video walkthroughs to explain where to find the option to opt out and how to fill out the form, but even that didn't seem to be enough in the end.

Some users claimed the option to opt out was not available to them or wouldn't load when the attempt was made to fill out the opt-out form. Others, like professional artist Karla Ortiz, posted on X (formerly Twitter) that even when they did fill out the form, Meta rejected their request to not have their private data or copyrighted work used to train generative AI.

"I’m not the only one who got that response," Ortiz wrote. "Meta refuses to follow laws, asking US to prove how THEIR closed GenAi models disregard rights, to then ignore anyway."

Ortiz also posted that Meta previously claimed the opt-out form doesn't actually opt users out of having their data and posts scraped. So even many users who managed to complete the steps to request the opt-out weren't granted their request.

Online artists and average Meta users alike have made it clear they don't want their posts and photos used for AI training. Aside from contacting state representatives to bring Meta's policies into legal question, there doesn't seem to be much online creators can do. As people wait for more rules and restrictions around AI training, companies such as Meta are gathering more and more data essentially without users' consent.

But as long as users continue to speak out about their concerns, it's always possible change will occur in time.