Facebook Wants ‘Ongoing’ Access to Your Camera Roll for AI Tricks

Facebook is asking users for unfettered access to the phone’s camera roll so it can offer “creative ideas” built with Meta AI.

Starting this week, when users attempt to create a new story in the mobile Facebook app, a pop-up message appears saying:

“Allow cloud processing to get creative ideas made for you from your camera roll.”

Upload to the cloud on an 'ongoing basis'

Granting access means Facebook will feed your photos to Meta AI (even the pictures you’ve never shared online) for “collages, recaps, AI restyling, or themes like birthdays or graduations.”

“To create ideas for you, we’ll select media from your camera roll and upload it to our cloud on an ongoing basis, based on info like time, location or themes,” the prompt says.

Facebook parent-company Meta assures users that only they can see the suggestions, and that their photos won’t be used for ads targeting.

However, by tapping “Allow,” you agree to Meta’s AI Terms of Service, which grants it full access to your photos, including facial features, to be analyzed for AI purposes, as highlighted by TechCrunch.

Screen capture of the mobile Facebook app displaying the new prompt

The feature will undoubtedly enhance the attractiveness of users’ stories, but it may come at the cost of privacy – especially to people who blindly accept the terms without reading through.

According to those terms, “once shared, you agree that Meta will analyze those images, including facial features, using AI. This processing allows us to offer innovative new features, including the ability to summarize image contents, modify images, and generate new content based on the image,” the text states.

Meta also reserves the right to “retain and use” any personal information you’ve shared to make personalized outputs. It may also allow human reviewers to look at your interactions with Meta AI, including conversations, the terms say.

Only a test (for now)

Meta spokesperson Maria Cubeta told TechCrunch the feature is only  test for now, saying, “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,” added Cubeta.

Perhaps more importantly, the spokesperson said that “Camera roll media may be used to improve these suggestions, but are not used to improve AI models in this test.”

Clarifying that “this test” will not be used for AI enrichment may suggest that Facebook plans to do so in the future, if the feature catches on.

Meta is currently testing the feature in the US and Canada.

Mind your digital footprint!

As we note in our guide, Every Click Leaves a Mark: Understanding Your Digital Footprint and How to Protect It, every time you go online, you leave a trail of digital breadcrumbs.

This trail – known as your digital footprint – consists of all your traceable activities, actions, and communications in the digital world, making a data shadow that accumulates as you browse websites, use apps, post on social media, or shop online.

Your digital footprint reveals a lot about who you are. Understanding your digital footprint is essential to protecting your privacy and security. To that end:

·      Avoid revealing sensitive information or oversharing.

·      Limit visibility on social media, apps, and browsers.

·      Grant apps only the access they strictly need and remove apps you don't use

·      Install tracker blockers, encrypted messaging, and use privacy-focused search engines.

·      Use dedicated security on your devices. Bitdefender Ultimate Security offers an array of tools to help protect your digital life, including a VPN that keeps your internet connections private and secure, an anti-tracker that prevents user profiling (device fingerprinting), and digital footprint visualization to identify if the websites you visit have compromised your sensitive information - and how you can undo any damage.

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