Meta has admitted to scraping the data of all Australian users to train its generative AI technology, sparking concerns about privacy and data protection. Unlike users in the European Union, Australians do not have the option to opt out of this data collection, as confirmed during a recent government inquiry into AI adoption in Australia.
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Melinda Claybaugh, Meta’s global privacy director, initially denied that the company had been using Australians’ data for AI training. However, upon further questioning by Australian senators, she acknowledged that Meta has been scraping photos and texts from all public Facebook and Instagram posts dating back to 2007. Posts set to private are exempt from this process.
No Opt-Out Option for Australians
During the inquiry, as reported by ABC News, Claybaugh admitted that while European users are given the option to opt-out, Australians are not provided with the same choice. This discrepancy stems from the legal requirements in the European Union, particularly those associated with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Meta had informed EU users that their data would be used to train AI models unless they opted out. Claybaugh explained that this was in response to the EU’s regulatory framework, and she added that Meta’s concerns over legal clarity under GDPR had led the company to withhold its multimodal AI model from the EU market. However, this legal uncertainty did not prevent Meta from providing EU users the choice to protect their data.
Australians Left Unprotected
Claybaugh further revealed that Meta does not scrape data from accounts of users under 18 years old. However, the company still collects information from minors if their photos or data appear on their parents’ or guardians’ accounts. Claybaugh was unable to confirm if Meta continues to collect data once a user turns 18.
Australian Senator David Shoebridge criticized the government’s lack of privacy protections, telling ABC News that had Australia adopted stronger privacy laws like the EU’s, its citizens’ data would also be protected. “Meta made it clear today that if Australia had these same laws, Australians’ data would also have been protected,” Shoebridge said. Despite ongoing legal questions in Europe, Meta has given users there the power to block data collection, something Australians are currently denied. The Australian government’s inaction on privacy leaves the door open for companies like Meta to continue collecting and monetizing personal data without providing adequate safeguards.
