Meta Might Be Scanning Your Photos Without You Knowing: Here's How To Stop It

How would you feel if you realized your private photos on Facebook were being used for its artificial intelligence (AI) feature referred to as Meta AI? That is what some users have realized by surprise, finding out that a specific setting for their camera roll was turned on. This setting allows Meta AI to use your photos, including the images of the people in them, the locations you went to, and when you were at these places.

According to the Meta AI Terms of Service: "Depending on where you are located, you may have the option to share images with AIs. 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. You further agree that you will not upload images to Meta AI that you know to contain individuals that reside in Illinois or Texas, unless you are their legally authorized representative and consent on their behalf."

You have to go manually into settings to turn this feature off. This isn't the first time the Meta AI app has caused user outrage. Nor is it the first time companies have taken advantage of user-created content for their AI with the intent to become more profitable.

To enable this feature, Meta presented users with a pop-up message titled "Allow cloud processing to get creative ideas made for you for your camera roll?" The message said it would give you creative ideas to use for your camera, including AI styling. At the bottom, it had a link to Meta AI's Terms of Service. Overall, it could have been clearer, as users really need to read through the full terms to understand the nuances of what they were agreeing to. It brings to mind when Meta began tracking user mobile browsing.

If you think you accidentally agreed to this feature, you can turn it off by going to the Facebook app on your phone, then to Menu and to Settings and Privacy. You'll then have to click Settings again in the new menu. Find the camera roll sharing suggestions. Once you select that, it will open a new page with options to turn on or off.

There will be two options you can turn off. One says, "Get creative ideas made for you by allowing camera roll cloud processing." This is the setting that lets Meta AI use your photos. You want it turned off by clicking on the toggle to change it from blue to gray. The other is "Get camera roll suggestions when you're browsing Facebook." If you want to turn that off, it prevents Meta from suggesting photos from your phone that you haven't uploaded yet.

Unfortunately, the rise in AI has created various lawsuits, legal issues, and a generally upset public. In 2022, DeviantArt, a popular website for both independent and professional artists to post their work, launched its own AI art generator. To train its new AI, it needed to use all the art people had uploaded. The problem was that everyone's art was automatically allowed to be used for AI training. Artists had to go into each individual piece they uploaded and opt out. For artists who had been on the site for years and had hundreds of pieces, this was not a simple or fast task. In response to user outrage, DeviantArt altered its policy and had all art automatically opt out of training its AI.

There is an ongoing lawsuit related to Anthropic, which owns Claude AI. The company has been accused of using copyrighted books obtained both legally and illegally to train its AI. The lawsuit is called Bartz v. Anthropic and is being heard in the federal court. The trial is set for December 2025, though on August 26, 2025, Anthropic expressed interest in reaching a settlement. The decision on this case could affect the future legal landscape regarding how companies can use content people have created to train their AI or fuel their AI's features.