Meta’s new AI chatbot isn’t just answering questions—it’s quietly collecting troves of personal data, raising fresh privacy alarms. Here’s what you need to know about Facebook’s AI assistant and your personal information.
What’s Happening?
Meta rolled out its AI-powered chat feature across Facebook and Instagram, promising personalized responses and helpful tips. But behind the scenes, the system logs far more than your typed questions:
- Conversation Context: Every message you send—questions about recipes, relationship advice, or product recommendations—is stored to improve future answers.
- Cross-App Tracking: Data from your chats can be linked to your activity on other Meta services—Stories you view, Reels you like, and Marketplace searches you make.
- Profile Profiling: The AI uses demographic info, friend connections, and past behaviors to tailor replies, effectively building a richer profile of your habits and interests.
Why It Matters
1. Deeper Data Collection
Unlike traditional chatbots that forget conversations, Meta’s assistant retains context across sessions. This lets the AI feel more “aware,” but also means Meta holds onto more of your personal thoughts and routines.
2. Blurred Lines With Ads
Meta makes its money from targeted advertising. With granular insights from your AI chats, advertisers could get sharper “signals” about what products or content to push—potentially amplifying ads in your feed.
3. Regulatory Red Flags
Privacy advocates warn that Meta is pushing boundaries faster than oversight can catch up. U.S. regulators and the EU’s Digital Services Act may soon demand clearer disclosures about how this chat data is used and shared.
How to Protect Yourself
- Review Your Settings: In Facebook’s and Instagram’s privacy menus, look for “AI Chat” data controls. You may be able to delete past conversations or opt out of personalized responses.
- Use Incognito Prompts: If you have sensitive questions, consider using generic or anonymized phrasing to limit personal profiling.
- Monitor Ad Preferences: Check your ad settings for unusual targeting signals—if you’re suddenly flooded with ads matching your private queries, dial back personalization.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: Does deleting a chat remove all the data?
Not always. Deleting messages may erase them from your view, but Meta may keep anonymized logs for training its models unless you opt out fully.
Q2: Can I turn off AI chat personalization?
Meta is testing an “off” switch in beta. Look under Settings → Privacy → AI Chat to disable data retention for future conversations.
Q3: Is Meta sharing my chat data with advertisers?
Direct sharing is unlikely—but insights gleaned from your chats can feed Meta’s ad-targeting algorithms, indirectly influencing which ads you see.
Sources The Washington Post
