Fashion
You Don’t Need to Share That Meta A.I. Post
A message on Instagram falsely claims that whoever shares it can legally bar Meta from sharing their data and photos. Don’t fall for it.
If you’ve been checking Instagram Stories this week, you’ve probably seen the post: a black text box on an orange background that begins with the words “goodbye Meta AI.”
From there, the message goes on to proclaim that — per the guidance of an unnamed lawyer — Meta does not have permission to use the poster’s “personal data, profile information or photos.”
But there’s nothing legally binding about this statement. Sharing it will do nothing to protect you or your data, and users may now see the post labeled “false information” if they try to view it. Here’s what you need to know.
What is this thing? It feels familiar.
Hoaxes like this one are as old as time — or at least as old as a time with the internet. In online parlance they are known as copy pasta, a term that comes from the way the style uses a block of text that is copied and shared over and over. Think back to the chain emails of the early online era, the ones that threatened 15 years of bad luck if you didn’t forward them to 15 friends. This A.I. post is just the latest iteration of the same junk.
Why am I seeing it now?
These types of posts circulate every few months, tricking users who are concerned about their privacy online. The boilerplate text is easy to share, which makes them spread rapidly and widely. And they prey on people’s fears about what may happen when they share parts of their personal lives on big tech platforms.
Who fell for this?
Hundreds of thousands of people shared the image on Instagram Stories alone, including celebrities like the actors Julianne Moore, Sarah Paulson and Raven Symone. (Plenty more people posted versions of it on Facebook and on Threads, too.) Users are right to be aware when it comes to digital safety. This post, however, will do nothing. If you were among those who shared it, don’t feel bad. Just delete it.
