Adobe‘s recent changes to its Terms of Service (ToS) for its Creative Cloud have led to significant unease over privacy and data security among its user base. The new terms grant the company the ability to access and potentially analyze user content, both through automated tools and manual review.
Users Worried About Data Privacy
The updated ToS, which must be accepted for continued use of Adobe products, includes clauses in Section 2.2 that permit Adobe to access user content to improve services, prevent fraud, enforce terms, and respond to user feedback or support requests. This section also mentions utilizing machine learning to scrutinize user content, which causes concern among users who manage sensitive or proprietary information.
Users must either agree to these terms or lose access to the software, while still paying for their subscriptions unless they cancel, possibly facing financial repercussions. The absence of an opt-out option for AI training purposes has only intensified user dissatisfaction.
Additional updates to the ToS include the right for Adobe to delete content from inactive accounts and a shortened timeframe for resolving disputes informally—from 60 to 30 days. Users must accept these modifications to continue using Adobe’s services, leaving them with the cumbersome choice of navigating the cancellation process to avoid agreeing to the new terms.
Social Media Outcry
Concerns about the terms have rapidly spread on platforms like X (formerly Twitter). Users have highlighted risks related to non-disclosure agreements (NDAs), questioning Adobe’s authority to access such highly confidential work. Fears have also been raised that content protected by copyright might be used to train Adobe’s AI models without clear consent.
Imagine having a bakery and after each customer purchase you then kicked them in the ass and stole their wallet on the way out.—Interesting way to support the artist who use and back your business, Adobe. pic.twitter.com/23J4D82Qge
— Tad Carpenter (@TadCarpenter) June 6, 2024
Adobe’s Response to User Concerns
In addressing the backlash, Adobe clarified to VentureBeat that the policies are not new but have been made more transparent with recent updates. A representative explained that the access to user content is necessary to enable certain cloud-based functionalities and to monitor for prohibited content. Furthermore, Adobe stated it does not access content stored on local devices.
“This policy has been in place for many years. As part of our commitment to being transparent with our customers, we added clarifying examples earlier this year to our Terms of Use regarding when Adobe may access user content. Adobe accesses user content for a number of reasons, including the ability to deliver some of our most innovative cloud-based features, such as Photoshop Neural Filters and Remove Background in Adobe Express, as well as to take action against prohibited content. Adobe does not access, view or listen to content that is stored locally on any user’s device.”
VentureBeat says sources close to the company added that Adobe’s ability to analyze files is limited to those stored on Creative Cloud or used within networked applications. The content analyses are primarily aimed at improving automated features like background generation and object removal tools.
Adobe´s Chief Strategy Officer Scott Belsky clarified on X that that Adobe does not train generative AI models on customer content.
Sam – while the team addresses your legal question, I can clearly state that Adobe does NOT train any GenAI models on customer’s content, and we obviously have tight security around any form of access to customer’s content. As a company that stores cloud documents and assets for…
— scott belsky (@scottbelsky) June 5, 2024
Adobe previously trained its Firefly AI and other generative AI features on content uploaded by contributors to Adobe Stock, its stock image library. The company maintains that this practice is lawful and ethical according to its ToS for that service. However, the current backlash may have a material impact on Adobe’s business if users follow through on their threats to cancel subscriptions.
Last Updated on November 7, 2024 7:48 pm CET
