Viral “Goodbye Meta AI” Post Is a Privacy Hoax

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If you’re an active Instagram or Facebook user like me, chances are you’ve come across the “Goodbye Meta AI” post. Well, I’m here to tell you all about this new viral trend and whether it’ll really safeguard your privacy on these social media platforms.

It then goes on to say that since Meta is a public company now, all users need to reshare the post or the company will assume that they support it using their data for training its AI models.

The post has already been reshared by a whopping 500,000 users, including public figures such as actress Julianne Moore and former NFL quarterback Tom Brady.

However, the “Goodbye Meta AI” trend is a privacy hoax. There’s no legal basis for such a post, and sharing it won’t stop Meta in any way.

Sharing such posts brings the attention of opportunistic cybercriminals to you, making you more susceptible to fraud.

Older people are more likely to be targets because they’re more likely to believe that sharing this post will actually stop Meta. So, if you see any senior folks sharing the “Goodbye Meta AI” post, make sure you warn them.

How to Really Stop Meta from Using Your Posts?

The easiest way is to make your profile private. In a press release last September, when Meta introduced its AI and talked about its data collection practices, it was made clear that only publicly available posts will be used to train it, meaning no private posts or messages will be tracked.

However, unfortunately, this also means that if you have a public account, there’s nothing you can do to stop Meta from using your posts as long as you are on the platform. In case you delete your account, though, its Terms of Services will no longer apply to you and hence they won’t be able to use your data.

Therefore, Meta had to make an exception. So, you can request the company to stop using your data, but do note that there’s no guarantee that your request will be honored.