Meta admits scraping Aussie data to train AI tools | The Queanbeyan Times
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Australians need greater legal protection to prevent tech giants harvesting their personal information, including photos of their children, to train generative AI tools.
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Concerns Raised by Politicians and Academics
Politicians and academics issued the call on Wednesday after Meta executives revealed photos and posts Australians shared on Facebook and Instagram as far back as 2007 had been used to build its AI models. The US company confirmed its use of the data at the Senate inquiry into Adopting Artificial Intelligence in Canberra, with representatives also revealing that European options to prevent the content being used would not be extended to Australians.
The inquiry, which is expected to present a final report next week, is examining AI trends, opportunities and risks, as well as its impact on elections and the environment. Meta privacy policy global director Melinda Claybaugh told the Senate committee that content users shared on its platforms was ingested to train its generative AI tools, Llama and Meta AI, if they shared posts publicly.
Concerns about the Use of Personal Data
Ms. Claybaugh also said Meta did not use photos posted by children but, under questioning, revealed that any photos of children shared by adults were used to train AI. She emphasized that data from accounts of under 18-year-olds was not used to train their models.
Call for Stronger Regulation
RMIT University technology and information associate dean Dana McKay said Meta's use of personal content would probably shock many users and demonstrated the need for stronger regulation. She emphasized the importance of implementing new privacy laws to safeguard user data and prevent unauthorized data scraping.
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