Meta has updated its Privacy Policy to allow the use of user-shared content – including posts, photos, and AI interactions – to develop its AI technologies. This change has triggered widespread Meta AI privacy concerns, especially around consent, transparency, and data control. This update changes how Meta uses your data. It affects your privacy rights, and you can take action under UK data protection law.

What’s Changed in Meta’s Privacy Policy

Meta now states that it may use your shared content – including posts, photos, and messages sent to AI tools – to train and improve its AI features. These include Meta AI and AI Creative Tools. Meta excludes private messages with friends and family from AI training. However, it still uses a broad range of other personal data.

You can read Meta’s updated Privacy Policy here.

Why These Changes Raise Privacy Concerns

The changes to Meta’s Privacy Policy raise several privacy concerns:

• Broad Data Use: Meta can process a wide range of personal content, including AI interactions.
• Trust and Transparency: These changes undermine user confidence in Meta’s data practices.
• Lack of Explicit Consent: Users didn’t clearly agree to this kind of processing.
• Ongoing Risk: Even if you object, Meta may still process data about you if it appears in someone else’s content.

These Meta AI privacy concerns are especially relevant for UK users who value control over their personal information.

How to Object Under UK Data Protection Law

If you are uncomfortable with Meta using your information in this way, under UK data protection laws, you have the right to object. Here’s how:

Submit the Objection Form

Meta has provided a form that you can fill out to formally object to the use of your data. You can find the form through a weblink in the notification you should have received, or on Meta’s privacy settings page.

Provide specific reasons when filling out the form, explain why you object to the processing. You can mention privacy concerns, the lack of explicit consent, and any potential negative impacts on your trust in Meta.

My Complaint to Meta

Here’s what I sent Meta earlier today – feel free to cut and paste.

Please tell us how this processing impacts you (required)

I live in the United Kingdom. I value my privacy and my rights under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR). Meta is using my personal information to develop and improve its AI tools. I did not give explicit consent for this. That affects me in several ways:

1. Privacy Concerns: The use of my personal data, including posts, photos, and messages, for AI development raises significant privacy concerns.Meta is using my information to train AI models without my explicit agreement. That makes me uncomfortable.
2. Data Security: The aggregation and processing of my data by Meta increase the risk of data breaches or misuse. Meta’s data processing increases the risk of exposing my personal information. I’m concerned it could be used beyond its intended scope.
3. Consent and Control: Organisations should only use my data with my explicit consent. I expect full control over how my information is used. The lack of clear, informed consent for this specific use of my data undermines my autonomy and control over my personal information.
4. Transparency and Trust: Meta may still process my information even after I object – for example, if someone else shares it. This undermines transparency and continues to erode trust in how Meta handles personal data.

I formally object to Meta using my personal data to develop and improve its AI, and I request that it stop processing my information for these purposes.

Please provide any additional information that could help us review your objection (optional)

I would like to emphasise the following points to support my objection to the processing of my personal information for AI development at Meta:

1. Lawful Basis: Under the GDPR, data processing activities must have a valid lawful basis for processing. I do not recall providing explicit consent for my data to be used in the development and improvement of AI. Therefore, this processing lacks a proper legal foundation in my case.
2. Scope of Data: My objection is particularly focused on the broad scope of data that could be used, including posts, photos, and messages. The potential for such comprehensive data processing raises concerns about the extent of personal information being utilised without my explicit agreement.
3. Alternatives: I believe there are alternative methods for developing and improving AI that do not require the use of my personal data. Meta could employ anonymised or synthetic data to achieve similar goals without infringing on individual privacy rights.
4. Impact on Trust: Continued processing of my data despite my objection would significantly impact my trust in Meta’s commitment to data protection and user privacy. Upholding my objection is crucial for maintaining transparency and user trust in Meta’s services.

Meta should respect this objection and stop using personal data for AI development and improvement. These concerns deserve serious consideration. The company must act in line with UK data protection laws.

Meta’s Response

In fairness to Meta, I received an email response within minutes stating that they would honour my objections.

Why You Should Take Further Action

Meta may still process your data indirectly, even after it accepts your objection. For example, if someone else shares a photo of you or mentions you in a post, Meta may still use that content to train its AI. Here’s what you can do:

Tell Everyone You Know

Because even if you do successfully object, Meta may still process information about you to develop and improve AI at Meta. Meta can process your information even if you don’t have a Facebook account. This also applies to non-users. For example, this could happen if you or your information:

• Appear anywhere in an image shared on Meta’s products or services by someone who uses them
• Are mentioned in posts or captions that someone else shares on Meta’s products and services

Help Others Object

I know that I’ll be helping my parents navigate the Right to Object form later. If you’ve successfully objected and there are people in your life who might need help understanding what these changes mean, and how they can object, help them.

Complain to the ICO

Whilst Meta have honoured my objections, I have still complained to the ICO because I think

• a lot of users will either not open or delete without reading the notification from Meta about the Privacy Policy updates; and
• out of those users who do actually read the notification, some of those will understand what the changes mean many others won’t.

You can submit a complaint to the ICO but only after you have completed Facebook’s Right to Object form and received their reply, otherwise the ICO will not take the complaint forward.

Final Thoughts

These changes are part of a wider shift in how tech companies use personal data to power AI. For UK users, it’s more important than ever to understand your rights and take action. The Meta AI privacy concerns raised by this policy update show why transparency, consent, and control must remain central to data protection.

Get In Touch

Kate Fitzgerald Consulting Limited offers a range of data protection support for arts and cultural organisations. From regular retainer support to documentation reviews and staff training, we can support you with our data protection needs. If you would like a chat to discuss any needs you may have, do get in touch – we’d love to hear from you.