Facebook's AI Feature Seeks Access to Users' Unpublished Photos, Raising Privacy Concerns

Facebook is asking to use Meta AI on photos in your camera roll you haven't yet shared | TechCrunch

Facebook is asking users for access to their phone's camera roll to automatically suggest AI-edited versions of their photos -- including ones that haven't been uploaded to Facebook yet. The feature is being suggested to Facebook users when they're creating a new Story on the social networking app. Here, a screen pops up and asks if the user will opt into "cloud processing" to allow creative suggestions. As the pop-up message explains, by clicking "Allow," you'll let Facebook generate new ideas from your camera roll, like collages, recaps, AI restylings, or photo themes. To work, Facebook says it will upload media from your camera roll to its cloud (meaning its servers) on an "ongoing basis," based on information like time, location, or themes. The message also notes that only you can see the suggestions, and the media isn't used for ad targeting. However, by tapping "Allow," you are agreeing to Meta's AI Terms. This allows your media and facial features to be analyzed by AI, it says. The company will additionally use the date and presence of people or objects in your photos to craft its creative ideas. The creative tool is another example of the slippery slope that comes with sharing our personal media with AI providers. Like other tech giants, Meta has grand AI ambitions. Being able to tap into the personal photos users haven't yet shared on Facebook's social network could give the company an advantage in the AI race. Unfortunately for end users, in tech companies' rush to stay ahead, it's not always clear what they're agreeing to when features like this appear. According to Meta's AI Terms around image processing, "once shared, you agree that Meta will analyze those images, including facial features, using AI. This processing allows us to offer innovative new features, including the ability to summarize image contents, modify images, and generate new content based on the image," the text states. The same AI terms also give Meta's AIs the right to "retain and use" any personal information you've shared in order to personalize its AI outputs. The company notes that it can review your interactions with its AIs, including conversations, and those reviews may be conducted by humans. The terms don't define what Meta considers personal information, beyond saying it includes "information you submit as Prompts, Feedback, or other Content." We have to wonder whether the photos you've shared for "cloud processing" also count here. Meta has not responded to our requests for comment or clarification. So far, there hasn't been much backlash about this feature. A handful of Facebook users have stumbled across the AI-generated photo suggestions when creating a new story and raised questions about it. For instance, one user on Reddit found that Facebook had pulled up an old photo (in this case, one that had previously been shared to the social network) and automatically turned it into an anime using Meta AI. When another user in an anti-AI Facebook group asked for help shutting this feature off, the search led to a section called camera roll sharing suggestions in the app's Settings. We also found this feature under Facebook's Settings, where it's listed in the Preferences section. On the "Camera roll sharing suggestions" page, there are two toggles. The first lets Facebook suggest photos from your camera roll when browsing the app. The second (which should be opt-in based on the pop-up that requested permission in Stories) is where you could enable or disable the "cloud processing," which lets Meta make AI images using your camera roll photos. This additional access to use AI on your camera roll's photos does not appear to be new. We found posts from earlier this year where confused Facebook users were sharing screenshots of the pop-up message that appeared in their Stories section. Meta has also published complete Help Documentation about the feature for both iOS and Android users. Meta's AI terms have been enforceable as of June 23, 2024; we can't compare the current AI terms with older versions because Meta doesn't keep a record, and previously published terms haven't been properly saved by the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine. Since this feature dips into your camera roll, however, it extends beyond what Meta had previously announced, in terms of training its AIs on your publicly shared data, including posts and comments on Facebook and Instagram. (EU users had until May 27, 2025 to opt out.)

Facebook is starting to feed its Meta AI with private, unpublished photos

Tina Nguyen is a senior reporter for The Verge, covering the Trump administration, Elon Musk's takeover of the federal government, and the tech industry's embrace of the MAGA movement. For years, Meta's trained its AI programs using the billions of public images uploaded by users onto Facebook and Instagram's servers. But apparently, Meta has decided to try training its AI on the billions of images that users haven't uploaded to those servers. On Friday, TechCrunch reported that Facebook users trying to post something on the Story feature have encountered pop-up messages asking if they'd like to opt into "cloud processing", which would allow Facebook to "select media from your camera roll and upload it to our cloud on a regular basis", to generate "ideas like collages, recaps, AI restyling or themes like birthdays or graduations." By allowing this feature, the message continues, users are agreeing to Meta AI terms, which allows their AI to analyze "media and facial features" of those unpublished photos, as well as the date said photos were taken, and the presence of other people or objects in them. You further grant Meta the right to "retain and use" that personal information. Meta recently acknowledged that it's scraped the data from all the content that's been published on Facebook and Instagram since 2007 to train its generative AI models. Though the company stated that it's only used public posts uploaded from adult users over the age of 18, it has long been vague about exactly what "public" entails, as well as what counted as an "adult user" in 2007. Unlike Google, which explicitly states that it does not train generative AI models with personal data gleaned from Google Photos, Meta's current AI usage terms, which have been in place since June 23, 2024, do not provide any clarity as to whether unpublished photos accessed through "cloud processing" are exempt from being used as training data. Meta did not return TechCrunch's request for comment; The Verge has reached out for comment as well. Thankfully, Facebook users do have an option to turn off camera roll cloud processing in their settings, which, once activated, will also start removing unpublished photos from the cloud after 30 days. But the workaround, disguised as a feature, suggest a new incursion into our private data, one that bypasses the point of friction known as conscientiously deciding to post a photo for public consumption. And according to Reddit posts found by TechCrunch, Meta's already offering AI restyling suggestions on previously-uploaded photos, even if users hadn't been aware of the feature: one user reported that Facebook had Studio Ghiblified her wedding photos without her knowledge.

Regrettable Photos? Facebook Wants Its AI to Access Your Camera Roll

Facebook has been using your publicly available data, including your posts, photos, and comments, to train its AI since 2007, but now, Meta AI wants to access photos you haven't even uploaded yet. Facebook users trying to use its "Story" feature are being asked to opt into "cloud processing" via a pop-up, TechCrunch reports. If you click "Allow," Facebook will be able to generate and suggest new content based on what's inside your camera roll, including things like collages, recaps, AI restylings, or themes like "birthdays or graduations." But approving the request will mean that Facebook will upload photos from your camera roll to Meta's servers on an "ongoing basis" to be processed. According to Meta AI's Terms of Service, once you agree, Meta can analyze everything from the facial data of your friends and family to the location where your snaps were taken. At present, it appears the test feature is only available to users in the US and Canada. The change has already attracted a degree of backlash from some users on X and Bluesky, and Reddit. If you get cold feet after opting into the feature, there is a way out. Head to Facebook's Settings page before going to the Preferences section. When you reach "Camera Roll Sharing Suggestions," you'll find two toggles: one that allows Facebook to make suggestions based on your camera roll, and another that permits it to make AI-infused versions of your snaps. But there is some good news for people concerned about AI overreach: the pop-up messages confirm that the media in your camera roll won't be used for ad targeting. In addition, in a statement to TechCrunch, a Meta spokesperson confirmed that though AI will be used to make creative suggestions based on your camera roll, these photos "are not used to improve AI models in this test." The recent nod toward helping users create creative AI-generated content could be a ploy to attract younger audiences who have been drifting away from the social network. Facebook saw an almost 40% drop in the number of teen users between 2014 and 2022 -- the largest decline of any social media platform, even surpassing older favorites like the image-sharing platform Tumblr. In response, it has been testing new features it hopes will reel Gen Z and Millennial audiences back in.

Facebook's New AI Tool Asks to Upload Your Photos for Story Ideas, Sparking Privacy Concerns

Facebook, the social network platform owned by Meta, is asking for users to upload pictures from their phones to suggest collages, recaps, and other ideas using artificial intelligence (AI), including those that have not been directly uploaded to the service. According to TechCrunch, which first reported the feature, users are being served a new pop-up message asking for permission to "allow cloud processing" when they are attempting to create a new Story on Facebook. "To create ideas for you, we'll select media from your camera roll and upload it to our cloud on an ongoing basis, based on info like time, location or themes," the company notes in the pop-up. "Only you can see suggestions. Your media won't be used for ads targeting. We'll check it for safety and integrity purposes." Should users consent to their photos being processed on the cloud, Meta also states that they are agreeing to its AI terms, which allow it to analyze their media and facial features. On a help page, Meta says "this feature isn't yet available for everyone," and that it's limited to users in the United States and Canada. It also pointed out to TechCrunch that these AI suggestions are opt-in and can be disabled at any time. The development is yet another example of how companies are racing to integrate AI features into their products, oftentimes at the cost of user privacy. Meta says its new AI feature won't be used for targeted ads, but experts still have concerns. When people upload personal photos or videos -- even if they agree to it -- it's unclear how long that data is kept or who can see it. Since the processing happens in the cloud, there are risks, especially with things like facial recognition and hidden details such as time or location. Even if it's not used for ads, this kind of data could still end up in training datasets or be used to build user profiles. It's a bit like handing your photo album to an algorithm that quietly learns your habits, preferences, and patterns over time. Last month, Meta began to train its AI models using public data shared by adults across its platforms in the European Union after it received approval from the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC). The company suspended the use of generative AI tools in Brazil in July 2024 in response to privacy concerns raised by the government. The social media giant has also added AI features to WhatsApp, the most recent being the ability to summarize unread messages in chats using a privacy-focused approach it calls Private Processing. This change is part of a bigger trend in generative AI, where tech companies mix convenience with tracking. Features like auto-made collages or smart story suggestions may seem helpful, but they rely on AI that watches how you use your devices -- not just the app. That's why privacy settings, clear consent, and limiting data collection are more important than ever. Facebook's AI feature also comes as one of Germany's data protection watchdogs called on Apple and Google to remove DeepSeek's apps from their respective app stores due to unlawful user data transfers to China, following similar concerns raised by several countries at the start of the year. "The service processes extensive personal data of the users, including all text entries, chat histories and uploaded files as well as information about the location, the devices used and networks," according to a statement released by the Berlin Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information. "The service transmits the collected personal data of the users to Chinese processors and stores it on servers in China." These transfers violate the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) of the European Union, given the lack of guarantees that the data of German users in China are protected at a level equivalent to the bloc. Earlier this week, Reuters reported that the Chinese AI company is assisting the country's military and intelligence operations, and that it's sharing user information with Beijing, citing an anonymous U.S. Department of State official. A couple of weeks ago, OpenAI also landed a $200 million with the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to "develop prototype frontier AI capabilities to address critical national security challenges in both warfighting and enterprise domains." The company said it will help the Pentagon "identify and prototype how frontier AI can transform its administrative operations, from improving how service members and their families get health care, to streamlining how they look at program and acquisition data, to supporting proactive cyber defense."

Facebook test uses Meta AI to process photos you've yet to upload

Facebook has been showing some users a pop-up message asking them if they want to allow the social network to create collages, recaps and AI restylings using photos they've yet to upload from their camera roll. According to TechCrunch, Facebook has been showing users the message when they upload a new Story on the app. It doesn't pop up for everyone, however, since we weren't able to replicate the event. In that notification, Meta wrote that in order to create ideas for users, it'll select media from their camera roll and upload it to the company's cloud "on an ongoing basis, based on info like time, location and themes." The message also said that the media won't be used for ads targeting, but its wording raised concerns about the possibility of Meta using people's camera roll files to train its artificial intelligence technology. Meta assued The Verge that it's not "currently training [its] AI models with these photos." The company's comms manager, Maria Cubeta, told the publication that Meta "testing suggestions of ready-to-share and curated content from a person's camera roll" as part of its efforts to explore ways to make content sharing easier. "These suggestions are opt-in only and only shown to you -- unless you decide to share them -- and can be turned off at any time. Camera roll media may be used to improve these suggestions, but are not used to improve AI models in this test," she said. The test feature has a limited reach, but it has been ongoing for some time, seeing as some users have reported seeing it earlier this year. In fact, Facebook already has a Help page for it, giving users instructions on how to allow and disallow "creative ideas with camera roll cloud processing" on Facebook. For those who've previously clicked Allow when the message popped up for them, they can go to Settings and switch it off in the "Camera roll sharing suggestions" section under Preferences.

Facebook determined to use Meta AI -- even on the private photos in your camera roll

Facebook is pretty sure you want AI-edited versions of every photo in your phone's camera roll, whether or not they're uploaded to Facebook. That's what you want, right? The Verge reported that when users open the Facebook app on their phones and navigate to adding a photo or video from their camera roll to their Facebook Stories, a screen pops up that asks if they'd like to opt into "cloud processing to get creative ideas made for you from your camera roll." The popup, which TechCrunch screenshotted, reads: "The best of your camera roll, curated for you: Get ideas like collages, recaps, AI restyling or themes like birthdays or graduations. To create ideas for you, we'll select media from your camera roll and upload it to our cloud on an ongoing basis, based on info like time, location, or themes. Only you see these suggestions. Your media won't be used for ads targeting. We'll check it for safety and integrity purposes." If you tap "Allow," you're agreeing to Meta's AI Terms, which are, as terms tend to be, long. It allows Meta AI to analyze media and facial features and "use info like date and presence of people or objects." But not every user is facing this popup -- it's just a test, Meta spokesperson Maria Cubeta told TechCrunch. "We're exploring ways to make content sharing easier for people on Facebook by testing suggestions of ready-to-share and curated content from a person's camera roll," she said. "These suggestions are opt-in only and only shown to you - unless you decide to share them - and can be turned off at any time. Camera roll media may be used to improve these suggestions, but are not used to improve AI models in this test." TechCrunch reported that Facebook is currently testing suggestions in the US and Canada, but it's clear that not every user has spotted the pop-up -- myself included. Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Mashable.

Meta wants to upload every photo you have to its cloud to give you AI suggestions

Meta's latest feature gives Facebook the power to continuously upload your private photos to its cloud -- even the ones you never intended to share. Here's how to stop it. In a time where internet users are goaded into giving away their data to nearly every company, Meta has decided to take it several steps further. It wants you to give Facebook access to your entire camera roll and allow it to upload your photos to its cloud. The "feature," spotted by TechCrunch has recently begun rolling out to users. When creating a story, a prompt pops up and asks users to opt into "cloud processing." While that sounds innocuous enough, it becomes less so once you read what Meta means by that. In its own words, it says: "To create ideas for you, we'll select media from your camera roll and upload it to our cloud on an ongoing basis, based on info like time, location, or themes." While it claims that the images won't be used for ad targeting, it still doesn't make us feel particularly good. Even more so when you delve into the Meta AI terms of Service and see their liability clause. If you opt into this new feature, just remember that you're giving Meta full access to all the images on your camera roll, including ones you most definitely don't want anyone else to see. And not only are you giving it access, you're giving it the right to upload those images into its cloud. Considering Meta's history with protecting user data, we'd strongly suggest opting out of cloud computing. After all, it was less than a year ago that we found out Meta had been storing over half a billion users' passwords in plain text. And, considering Meta also owns Instagram, it wouldn't be unheard of for the changes to apply to Instagram as well. If you use either app, be sure you read any pop-up feature opt-ins -- companies frequently try to downplay the extent to which they'll use your data. In the event that you -- or someone you know -- opts in and wants back out, you can revoke consent at any time. Here's how to do it: