How to protect your data instead of sharing this viral Instagram hoax
By Imane El Atillah
Published on 26/09/2024 - 17:40 GMT+2
A viral Instagram hoax, shared by thousands, including celebrities, falsely claims that reposting will prevent Meta from using personal data for AI training.
Hundreds of thousands of Instagram users have been misled by a viral fake post claiming that sharing it will prevent Meta from using their personal data, profile information, or photos to train artificial intelligence (AI).
The post, which has been found to be both incorrect and misleading, reads "Goodbye Meta AI," before falsely warning that anyone who doesn't repost it will automatically be giving Meta permission to use their data.
Several celebrities, including actors Julianne Moore, Sarah Paulson, James McAvoy, and former NFL player Tom Brady, have also fallen for the misleading claims.
This is an example of "copypasta," a term used to describe text that is copied and pasted repeatedly across the Internet, often spreading misinformation.
Fact-checkers have flagged these hoax messages as "false information" on both Facebook and Instagram due to their misleading claims.
"Posting the viral statement, or any other statement, doesn't mean that Meta will not use that data for AI training, but users in Europe can object via a form in their account settings," Lead Stories, a third-party fact-checking site working with Meta, stated in a blog post.