Facebook admits scraping Australian user data for AI without opt-out option

By Seda Sevencan

ISTANBUL (AA) - Facebook has confirmed it collects public data from Australian adult users, including photos and posts, to train its AI models, without offering an opt-out option, unlike in the EU, according to local ABC News.

During an inquiry, Meta’s global privacy director, Melinda Claybaugh, faced scrutiny from Australian senators over whether the social media giant has been collecting data from Australians to build its generative AI tools. Initially, Claybaugh denied that claim but later confirmed it.

Labor Senator Tony Sheldon questioned whether US-based Meta – which owns Instagram and Facebook – had used Australian posts dating back to 2007 to fuel its AI products. Claybaugh responded: "We have not done that." However, Greens Senator David Shoebridge quickly challenged her statement.

Shoebridge asked: "The truth of the matter is that unless you have consciously set those posts to private since 2007, Meta has just decided that you will scrape all of the photos and all of the texts from every public post on Instagram or Facebook since 2007, unless there was a conscious decision to set them on private. That's the reality, isn't it?

“Correct,” Claybaugh replied.

Claybaugh clarified that Meta does not scrape data from accounts belonging to individuals under 18. However, when asked if public photos of Sheldon’s own children posted on his account would be collected, she acknowledged that they would be.

She also could not answer whether the company had collected data from previous years of users who were now adults, but were under 18 when they created their accounts.

In June, Meta informed users in the EU and US that their data could be used for AI training unless they opted out, a measure introduced due to privacy laws in these regions.

Claybaugh acknowledged that those opt-out options were not offered to Australian users.

“In Europe there is an ongoing legal question around what is the interpretation of existing privacy law with respect to AI training.”