Do you want to object to Meta’s AI training in two clicks? We got you covered!
Meta has informed Facebook and Instagram users that, starting June 26, it will use their (your) personal data to train its artificial intelligence models.
Meta has established a deliberately cumbersome, long, and costly procedure for you to object to these processings.
In reality, you can object by sending an email to any of their contact addresses. The interpretation of the Brussels authorities supports this.
That’s why we have drafted a sample objection email, which you can send in two clicks.
It will literally take you five seconds to do it.
We are Citizen8
We are Citizen8: a group of specialists interested in empowering you, the citizen, in the defense of your rights, starting with your privacy.
Until now, through this website, we have published informational texts.
Today, we offer you what Meta should have offered you: a very simple and free way to exercise your right to object to their processings based on legitimate interest.
How does it work?
We do not access any of your personal data: everything happens on your device.
a) If you are on your computer
When you click any of the links below, your email program (Outlook, Thunderbird, Gmail, whatever) will open with a pre-drafted email ready to send.
The email contains the text we consider legally sufficient to exercise your right to object.
b) If you view this website from your mobile
Depending on the type and configuration of your mobile, the process may vary, but normally when you click the link, it will offer you several webmail services to choose from, and you will need to select and log in with your username and password for yours.
If you want it easier than that, simply open a new email on your mobile in the way you prefer and copy and paste into it (i) the text of the email we have prepared – it’s here – and (ii) the email addresses of Facebook or Instagram and that of eGarante if you want to obtain certification of the email, and send it.
Voilà !!
You need to click one of the following links. Select yours:
YO! Make sure the email is sent from the email address you are registered with on Facebook or Instagram
Comments:
Make sure the email is sent from the email address you are registered with on Facebook or Instagram. If your program generates the email from another address, you may need to copy and paste the recipients and text where necessary to ensure the email is sent from your correct address.
The email addresses for Facebook and Instagram are inserted by default.
Read the email and, if you agree with it, just click «send.»
What you can edit:
We have included the email address of eGarante (a certification and authentication services provider), which will send you another email minutes after sending yours, containing a copy (a PDF) of it, certifying the sending of your objection email, along with its date and time. eGarante will then delete your data: they are lovely.
Keep that PDF safe: it certifies that you have sent your objection in a timely manner. It can be useful for reporting or claiming damages against Meta if they do not respond or satisfy your objection.
Terms of the free eGarante service here.
If you do not want eGarante to provide this service, simply delete their email address from the «cc» or «Carbon Copy» field.
If you do not feel some of the listed reasons as yours, or do not understand them, delete them. In fact, to object, it is enough to leave the first two paragraphs (the ones starting with «When I decided to share my content…» and «It is obvious…»).
The email is generated within your device by interaction between your browser and your email client: we do not have access to your personal data.
eGarante will have access to your email address (to send you the certification of the sending) but you can avoid this by deleting their email address in the carbon copy (cc) field.
Do it yourself
Recipient
Email address for Facebook: support@fb.com
Email address for Instagram: support@instagram.com
CC (it is important that it is in the visible copy field – not hidden – otherwise, the eGarante service will not work). mailsigned@egarante.com
Subject: Exercise of the right to object under Article 21 GDPR
Email body
«Dear Meta Sirs:
It has been communicated to me that, if I do not exercise my right to object, Meta will process my personal data for the training of its artificial intelligence models. The data processed would be «the information you shared on Meta’s products and services. For example, posts or photos with their descriptions.» The purpose of the processing is to «train our AI models» and «develop and improve Meta’s AI.»
Therefore, in accordance with Article 21 of the General Data Protection Regulation, I hereby formally notify you of the exercise of my right to object to such processing of my personal data, for reasons related to my particular situation.
These reasons are as follows:
When I decided to share my content and information (which includes personal data of myself and third parties and may include both content subject to my intellectual property rights, as well as content related to children) in no way could I imagine that they would end up being used to train artificial intelligence models.
It is obvious, then, that such processing exceeds my reasonable expectations regarding the processing of my data and that, consequently, such processing, if accepted by me (which I am refusing), could only cover my future data and in no case my content dated prior to this communication.
The AIs that Meta trains can have multiple purposes, both positive and negative.
The information provided by Meta does not allow me to be certain that the AI models thus trained will not be used for purposes incompatible with my ethical and moral principles and values, nor if they will have any negative impact on me. Nor have I been informed of the final applications or functionalities – commercial or otherwise – of the models that Meta will train.
Consequently, I do not have enough information to decide if the processing and its purpose are acceptable to me. It seems appropriate to assume the contrary, considering the numerous occasions on which Meta has failed to meet its legal obligations in the past.
It is unacceptable to think that my personal data may contribute to the next scandal involving Meta.
This platform has a direct contractual relationship with me: nothing prevents, and in fact, it would be most appropriate – both from a legal standpoint and for the quality of the service – that my consent be directly requested for this processing of my data.
In summary, this initiative, as it is proposed, appears to be a new attempt to abuse my rights by this platform.
In light of the above, I hereby notify you of the exercise of my right to your support email address (since you do not even offer a dedicated email address for privacy issues, only a complicated objection procedure on your website, full of friction elements).
I do so under the provisions of the EDPB in its Guidelines 1/2022 (paragraph 53 and the corresponding footnote 28). I ask you to make your best efforts to ensure that this notification reaches the appropriate department at Meta so that my right is promptly satisfied.
I remind you that the regulations require you to notify me in writing within one month from the date of this notification either (i) the confirmation that my personal data has been removed from the training datasets of your AIs or (ii) the confirmation that it has not been done (and in this case, with a fulfilled justification).
Kind regards.»
<<<End of mail>>>
Now paste all that in your favourite email client and press «Send».
You´re done.
And you are welcome.
Jorge García Herrero
DPO. GDPR Evangelist