During a recent senate inquiry, Meta confirmed it has been using public information from Australian Facebook users to refine its AI systems. It was revealed that there was no option for Australians to exclude their data from this collection.
Senate Inquiry Raises Privacy Issues
Melinda Claybaugh, Meta's head of global privacy, faced questions regarding the scope of data acquisition from Australian profiles. Initially, she denied that posts as old as those from 2007 were included, but later admitted that public posts were indeed gathered unless specifically marked private. She added that while data from under-18 users wasn't harvested, publicly available images of minors posted on adult profiles were not exempt.
Unlike in Europe and the US, Australian users didn't receive an opportunity to opt-out. Meta had notified users in the EU and the US about the inclusion of their data in AI training back in June, providing an opt-out due to stricter privacy regulations in those regions. Claybaugh explained that legal uncertainties in Europe prompted this feature, but Australian users had no such choice other than making their posts private.
Government Response and Legislative Changes
The Australian federal government is concerned over Meta's data practices. Senator David Shoebridge stressed the urgent need to revamp Australia's privacy regulations to offer better user data protections, akin to European standards. Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus announced imminent reforms to the Privacy Act, aiming to update laws to enhance user privacy.
In 2023, Meta revealed that it was already using publicly available posts from Instagram and Facebook to train its generative AI models. Contrary to earlier statements suggesting that data collection would start in late June 2024, Australian data had been included earlier. Labor Senator Tony Sheldon raised issues regarding posts by adults featuring minors, highlighting that many users are unaware due to long and complex privacy policies.
Ethical and Legal Considerations
Claybaugh was unable to confirm if Meta distinguished between posts made before and after users turned 18. She stated that Meta filtered its data to exclude personal information and defended the practice against claims of ethical issues. Independent Senator David Pocock suggested the need to update Australia's Privacy Act to prevent unauthorized data scraping.
The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) has reached out to Meta for discussions regarding their AI products and relevant privacy measures. This request follows increasing concerns over the privacy implications of Meta's data practices and emphasizes the need for stricter regulatory scrutiny.
