More than 600,000 people, including several celebrities, have fallen for a hoax claiming to prevent Facebook. And Instagram owner Meta from using their images to train artificial intelligence (AI). Celebrities like James McAvoy, Ashley Tisdale. And former NFL player Tom Brady are among those who re-shared the misleading “Goodbye Meta AI” message on Instagram stories.
The False Claim Hoax
The viral hoax claims that sharing the message would stop Meta from using the sharer’s information. In reality, users who want to opt out of AI training can do so through their account settings—posting about it has no effect on privacy settings.
Fact-Checking the Hoax
Meta confirmed that sharing the message does not change privacy settings, and Lead Stories, one of Meta’s third-party fact-checking partners, flagged many posts as “false information.” The post originated in response to Meta’s June announcement that it would use public posts for AI training, but Meta clarified that users must opt-out manually.
The Hoax’s Viral Spread
Lead Stories traced the original post to a 1 September Facebook message with slightly different wording. However, the trend gained significant traction this week when celebrities began sharing it, leading to a spike in searches for “Goodbye Meta AI” on 24 September.
Similar Hoaxes in the Past
The “Goodbye Meta AI” hoax is not unique. Social media platforms have frequently been flooded with similar “copypasta” messages—blocks of text copied and shared across platforms. Fact-checking site Snopes has documented multiple instances of users declaring their privacy rights in public posts, often to no avail.
Wider Concerns about AI Training
The hoax comes amid growing concerns about social media platforms using public posts to train AI models. LinkedIn recently reversed its decision to use public posts for AI training in the UK following user backlash, reflecting the broader unease surrounding privacy and AI.
