EU users\u2019 personal data rights are governed by the General Data Protection Regulation and the AI Act. GDPR<\/a>, which became enforceable in 2018, requires explicit consent to use personal data. This includes the right to object to one\u2019s data being used. The AI Act, which went into effect in 2024, dictates how AI companies can use personal data, and how people can opt in or out, stating<\/a> that they can withdraw consent at any time. The UK has its own version of the GDPR<\/a>.\u00a0The European Commission states<\/a>: \u201cThe GDPR rules only apply to personal data about individuals; they do not govern data about companies or any other legal entities. However, information in relation to companies may constitute personal data where it allows the identification of a natural person.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Several users based in the UK and EU have explained how to object on Instagram. Instagram user bookish.sil posted<\/a> a walkthrough of how they did it on mobile: by clicking the three lines on their account, going to the privacy center, and clicking \u201cobject,\u201d which goes to a form that asks users to write why they are objecting to their data being used. They received an email from Meta saying their objection was approved. Instagram user jenniqueart posted<\/a> a similar walkthrough with the same results.\u00a0<\/p>\n My Meta accounts are based in the US, but using a VPN to locate my IP address in London, I could see options in my Meta privacy settings that would let me object to the use of my information by Meta AI. To get there on desktop with a VPN on, I went to my account privacy center<\/a>, clicked \u201cSubmit a privacy rights request\u201d<\/a> at the bottom, selected Instagram, clicked \u201cHow can I object to the processing of my information?\u201d<\/a> and got to a page where I could choose to object to the use of my information for Meta AI or third parties, which were two separate options.<\/p>\n When my location is based in the US, these options don’t appear.<\/p>\n When I clicked through the option to \u201cobject to the use of my information for Meta AI,\u201d however, it returned an error page that said \u201cThis form is only available to people in certain regions.\u201d GDPR is meant to apply to wherever someone is located at the time, but since this objection applies to the preferences of one account, it might be based on where the account was created. I tried again located in Belgium and got the same results. I\u2019ve asked Meta to clarify.\u00a0<\/p>\n As many have already pointed out in the comments on UK and EU users who\u2019ve posted walkthroughs, these objection steps aren\u2019t available to people outside of those countries, and as Meta continuously changes its platform, these steps might not work for everyone always. Unless something changes before November 20, the rest of us are screwed.<\/p>\n About the author<\/p>\n Sam Cole is writing from the far reaches of the internet, about sexuality, the adult industry, online culture, and AI. She’s the author of How Sex Changed the Internet and the Internet Changed Sex.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
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