> According to Facebook's Statement of Rights and Responsibilities:
> You give us permission to use your name, profile picture, content, and information in connection with commercial, sponsored, or related content (such as a brand you like) served or enhanced by us. This means, for example, that you permit a business or other entity to pay us to display your name and/or profile picture with your content or information, without any compensation to you. If you have selected a specific audience for your content or information, we will respect your choice when we use it.
Many years ago (back when Facebook still had sidebar ads), my sister was presented with a dating ad for "Hot Christian Singles" accompanied by a photo of our brother.
It was hilarious, but also mind-boggling. In what scenario would pulling in a friend's profile photo create a useful ad?
Is Meta abusing its users a problem? Yes. Does the TOS allow for it? Yes. Can people decide to just create a shell account and not actually participate? Sure.
One of the real insidious problems with Instagram and to some extent Facebook is that they provide a free, low friction way for business to communicate with current or potential customers. As a result many small businesses use Instagram as replacement for a public facing website and perhaps a blog or email newsletter. Many small business in my region depend on Instagram for this purpose, its nearly universal. It helps keep you stuck in Instagram so that you can see a business' hours, menu, or special events. I guess a shell account is the answer but you're still going to have to navigate the skinner box feed.
Amazing we live in an age where making a fake image of someone that looks realistic enough (and for a tiny thumbnail resolution to boot) with a company that makes arguably lesser used but somewhat frontier AI models, not using said models to make these ads less intrusive, whilst still making them feel slightly personalized.
Something similar happened to me a few years ago. my photo was used in an ad, making it look like I was selling stuff and promoting a page I’d never even clicked on... absolutely mind-blowing....
Well, that took a dark turn. At this point, no one should be surprised. They've churned out a lot of movies with this plot; it was always going to happen.
Company owned by a sociopath and which has proven time and time and time again that they have no regard for your privacy does it again. It’s good to keep talking about it so that there is still some friction attached to pulling this off for Meta, but if you’re surprised at this I don’t know what to tell you.
Delete your social media and join the rest of us living free!
For the median user, It really is impossible to have an alternative to instagram / whatsapp / facebook. It is so easy to live in a bubble and say I'll host my own things. but a totally different thing to have a functioning network effects machine.
Didn't Facebook do this years and years ago?
Yes, 2013: https://mashable.com/archive/facebook-ads-photo#ggcKnNfAUaqy
> According to Facebook's Statement of Rights and Responsibilities:
> You give us permission to use your name, profile picture, content, and information in connection with commercial, sponsored, or related content (such as a brand you like) served or enhanced by us. This means, for example, that you permit a business or other entity to pay us to display your name and/or profile picture with your content or information, without any compensation to you. If you have selected a specific audience for your content or information, we will respect your choice when we use it.
So it's not new. If you don't want this, delete your facebook account: https://www.facebook.com/privacy/dialog/delete-your-informat...
Many years ago (back when Facebook still had sidebar ads), my sister was presented with a dating ad for "Hot Christian Singles" accompanied by a photo of our brother.
It was hilarious, but also mind-boggling. In what scenario would pulling in a friend's profile photo create a useful ad?
Is Meta abusing its users a problem? Yes. Does the TOS allow for it? Yes. Can people decide to just create a shell account and not actually participate? Sure.
One of the real insidious problems with Instagram and to some extent Facebook is that they provide a free, low friction way for business to communicate with current or potential customers. As a result many small businesses use Instagram as replacement for a public facing website and perhaps a blog or email newsletter. Many small business in my region depend on Instagram for this purpose, its nearly universal. It helps keep you stuck in Instagram so that you can see a business' hours, menu, or special events. I guess a shell account is the answer but you're still going to have to navigate the skinner box feed.
Just stop using that cursed website
This shouldn't really be surprising. It's very similar to what they did ~1.5 year ago when they started to use users' photos to promote Meta AI
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42615538
I feel like having an account on a Meta site is today’s equivalent of being a smoker.
https://xcancel.com/venturetwins/status/2071277885646868536
Comment on that thread:
> This seems entirely counter-productive and creepy.
Apt description of Instagram in general.
Sometimes it seems like Black Mirror screenwriters work at Meta as a side hustle.
Why? Because they can, and they will.
Leaving these services looks difficult or impossible, until you do it, and the world just keeps spinning.
As if Meta glasses weren't creepy enough already.
The XKCD for this exact scenario is 14 years old.
https://xkcd.com/1150/
Amazing we live in an age where making a fake image of someone that looks realistic enough (and for a tiny thumbnail resolution to boot) with a company that makes arguably lesser used but somewhat frontier AI models, not using said models to make these ads less intrusive, whilst still making them feel slightly personalized.
Always amusing when people discover they’re paying for free services with something other than money.
I don't know what's worse - this, or all the ads/commercials for Meta Glasses featuring Kylie Jenner, like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yYQO8exxaU
How much abuse are the users willing to take before the take action?
Something similar happened to me a few years ago. my photo was used in an ad, making it look like I was selling stuff and promoting a page I’d never even clicked on... absolutely mind-blowing....
https://xcancel.com/venturetwins/status/2071277885646868536
Well, that took a dark turn. At this point, no one should be surprised. They've churned out a lot of movies with this plot; it was always going to happen.
The news here is that people are still using instagram.
> "The era of ultra personalized ads has begun"
I think that's maybe a decade old by now if not more, a little late to the party I'd say
I mean, what would you expect from company with morality of tobacco and slot machines producer? This is the least evil they are doing.
This thing resurface from time to time. It's the small text you never read. In this case, small part in ridiculously and intentionally big eula.
Ten years ago maybe this causes outrage, but I'm not sure anyone cares in 2026 including potential customers.
I actually find this incredible, since this highlights how desperate they are to advertise these glasses
IG users were the proverbial product on this free-to-partake vanity fair since its inception.
Is there actual proof that they are doing this. Theres not much to go on in the tweet.
When you don't pay for the product... YOU are the product.
Company owned by a sociopath and which has proven time and time and time again that they have no regard for your privacy does it again. It’s good to keep talking about it so that there is still some friction attached to pulling this off for Meta, but if you’re surprised at this I don’t know what to tell you.
Delete your social media and join the rest of us living free!
As horrible as it sounds.
For the median user, It really is impossible to have an alternative to instagram / whatsapp / facebook. It is so easy to live in a bubble and say I'll host my own things. but a totally different thing to have a functioning network effects machine.
why are people using these products exactly?
signing away their rights to their photos? making psychopaths filthy rich?
if the surveillance glasses are coming, these people will also have signed away the commons, which are not theirs to give away
Important reminder that you don't belong to yourself anymore when using these "services".
[dead]
[dead]
[flagged]