Meta Hides AI Training Opt-Out From Australian Users for Over a Year
Australians can finally stop Meta from using their Facebook and Instagram photos, posts, and comments to train artificial intelligence models, but the company never announced the option, leaving it buried in privacy settings for more than a year. Public backlash erupted in mid-2024 when it was revealed Meta was using public user data dating back to 2007. At the time, Australians were told they lacked an opt-out choice due to weaker local privacy protections, unlike users in the European Union who received an objection form that same year.
ABC News revealed that an objection form became available locally in July 2025, buried within platform settings without any direct notifications sent to account holders. Tom Sulston from Digital Rights Watch criticized the rollout, noting that users have to go digging through support pages because of a commercial imperative for Meta to gather as much data as possible. Information about the form has only recently filtered out through user-generated social media posts rather than official announcements from the tech giant.
How Australian Users Can Access the Hidden Opt-Out Form
Account holders who want to stop Meta from utilizing their public social media activity for artificial intelligence training must locate the objection form manually within their privacy settings or access the tool directly via their Facebook account. According to Meta, users who successfully submit the form receive an email confirmation stating that the company will not use their public data for future artificial intelligence training.
Accounts set to private status are already exempt from AI training, along with all private messages and profiles belonging to users under 18 years of age. Sulston acknowledged that while having an opt-out mechanism is positive, users do not truly have a free choice if they remain entirely unaware that the option exists.
Regulatory Scrutiny From the Australian Privacy Commissioner
Meta has not explained why it introduced the objection form in Australia without an announcement, especially since relevant sections of the Australian Privacy Act have remained unchanged. The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner previously issued public guidance stating that publicly available data does not automatically grant companies the legal right to train artificial intelligence models on it.
The OAIC confirmed it has assessed Meta’s behavior regarding AI training for some time. An OAIC spokesperson stated that the regulator engaged extensively with Meta and other platforms and intends to publish the results of its investigations in the coming months. Privacy advocates suggest that Meta may have launched the quiet opt-out as a pre-emptive response to legal ambiguity or anticipated government privacy reforms, allowing the company to claim compliance while continuing to use data elsewhere.
Frequently Asked Questions About Meta AI Training
What specific data does Meta use for AI training?
Meta uses public photos, posts, and comments shared by Facebook and Instagram users dating back to 2007, as revealed in mid-2024.
Are private messages and minor accounts affected?
Private messages, accounts set to private, and profiles belonging to users under 18 years of age are already exempt from Meta’s artificial intelligence training.
Did Meta notify Australian users when the form launched?
No notifications were sent to Australian account holders when the objection form was added in July 2025, leaving users to discover the setting through user-generated posts.
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