{
  "id": 18162094,
  "title": "Meta is still training its AI on Australians, but now you can stop it",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/04/meta-is-still-training-its-ai-on-australians-but-now-you-can-stop-it",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-11-04T18:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "ABC News AU",
    "slug": "abc-news-au",
    "url": "https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-11-05/meta-facebook-instagram-changes-using-data-to-train-ai/107335708"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Meta, the popular social media platform, has quietly implemented a mechanism for Australians to prevent their user data from being utilized in the training of its artificial intelligence (AI). However, the company has not publicly announced this development, leaving users in the dark about the option. Digital rights advocates have expressed concern that Meta deliberately keeps the information hidden, as there has been no official communication about the change. The objection form, which allows users to opt-out, has been accessible in Australia for over a year but has only recently gained attention through user sharing. Meta users can submit the form via their Facebook account, and the company promises to notify them if their data will no longer be used for AI training. The Australian Privacy Act allows for the use of publicly available data in AI training, but the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) is investigating the matter. The OAIC has engaged with Meta and other platforms to determine their compliance with privacy laws. The lack of clear guidance on the application of the law has led some to believe Meta's move may be a pre-emptive response to potential future regulations.",
  "summary": "Meta has quietly introduced a way for Australians to stop the tech giant from training its AI on their user data, but the company never announced it, leaving the choice effectively hidden for more than a year.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Malay Mail",
        "title": "Brazilian media win first round against Meta over AI training demand",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/04/brazilian-media-win-first-round-against-meta-over-ai-training-demand",
        "published": "2026-11-04T04:30:46.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Semafor",
        "title": "Brazilian court curbs Meta’s use of local media to train AI",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/04/brazilian-court-curbs-metas-use-of-local-media-to-train-ai",
        "published": "2026-11-04T11:37:45.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}