Facebook users have been warned that Meta could be 'secretly' scanning camera rolls.
In some way or other, we're aware that big tech companies are tracking our internet habits and data.
If it's not Amazon's Alexa listening in on private conversations, it's data-hungry apps accessing more of your phone's features than they should.
But what about our more private stuff?
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Turns out, Meta could be quietly scanning your phone's entire camera roll without your knowledge or consent.
This isn't just about the photos you choose to post on Facebook or Instagram. The social media giant may have access to every image and video stored on your device, including those you never intended to share with anyone.
Facebook users have recently discovered that Meta has quietly activated two settings in their accounts that enable 'custom sharing' of personal camera roll content.
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Many users claim they were never notified about these changes, raising questions about informed consent.
While these features are active, Facebook uses images from your camera roll - including metadata like dates, people, and objects in photos - to create album suggestions, photo collages, recap posts, and AI versions of your images.
The company maintains that these photo suggestions are only visible to you and won't be used for targeted advertising.
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Meta requires access to the camera roll for basic functions, such as uploading and sharing photos across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. However, this new functionality suggests the company is scanning images that remain on your phone and were never uploaded to any platform.
The good news is you can turn off this feature if you know where to look.
- First, open the Facebook app and make sure you’re signed into your account.
- On the mobile app, tap the menu icon in the top right corner.
- Head to the Settings and Privacy section and select Settings.
- Then, scroll down to find 'Camera roll sharing suggestions' and tap it.
- Here, turn off both toggled labelled 'Custom sharing suggestions from your camera roll' and 'Get camera roll suggestions when you’re browsing Facebook.'
If the toggles are blue and the circle is pushed to the right, that means Meta is actively processing and retaining your photos.
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To disable this, press the white button to the right, which will turn the toggle grey and deactivate camera roll sharing.
This is just one of many examples when how tech companies introduce new data collection features by default and bury the controls deep within the privacy settings.