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Understanding Meta’s Photo Access Settings
Some Meta users still have questions and anxiety about which photos Meta can access on their camera rolls and how these photos may be used for AI. But you can easily check your privacy settings — especially if you’re confused about what exactly you agreed to share.
Back in June, Mashable reported on a notice that popped up on the Facebook app giving users the option to opt into “cloud processing to get creative ideas made for you from your camera roll.” However, users may not have realized that accepting the setting meant agreeing to Meta’s AI terms, which give Meta the right to “retain and use” any of your shared personal photos for AI-generated editing and curating.
Meta’s AI Feature Test
In the privacy settings of the Facebook app, there are two toggles related to photo access: the one described above, and another setting that grants access to your camera roll for suggesting photos to post. This is a pre-existing setting that is automatically toggled on when you download the Facebook app. It doesn’t have access to the content on your camera roll, only metadata like date, time, resolution, and number of photos.
When the story was first reported, Meta told TechCrunch that the AI feature (related to the new toggle setting) was a test, and that it could be turned off at any time. This is the feature that Meta says prompts a pop-up requesting permission to access your camera roll. The company also said the Meta AI suggestions are only visible to the user. But users have continued to raise awareness about the confusing privacy settings.
