Meta uses your public content for AI — Are you prepared for the consequences?

What does this mean?

Meta will use, among other things, texts, images and videos that users have shared publicly or that they have given permission for themselves. This includes older content that was available before this date, provided that content was publicly visible at any time.
For WhatsApp, messages are explicitly excluded from AI training. However, profile photos, statuses, or other public data can be included if they are set as “public”.

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What are the risks for your organization?

The increase in publicly available data increases the risk of advanced forms of cybercrime, including:

• Identity fraud by employees or directors;
• Social engineering, such as deepfakes or fake requests on behalf of colleagues or suppliers;
• Reputational damage due to accidental reuse of content in which your organization appears;
• Targeted phishing attacks based on company and personal information available online.

AI makes it easier to make connections between separate data and build realistic profiles from it — a technique that cybercriminals like to use.

Recommended measures:

• Identify what content about your organization or employees is publicly visible via social media;
• Limit the visibility of sensitive information in (personal) profiles;
• Inform employees about how to object via Meta's Privacy Center;
• Include this topic structurally in your security awareness policy.

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Appropriate insurance as a safety net

Although prevention is essential, the risk of digital incidents remains. Good cyber insurance or fraud insurance then offers an important safety net. These cover, among others:

• Financial damage due to social engineering or digital scams;
• Costs of forensic IT research;
• Legal assistance in the event of data breaches and privacy violations;
• Damage due to identity fraud or system intrusion.

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Do you want to know how to optimally protect your organization?

We are happy to advise you on appropriate insurance and additional security measures that are in line with your digital risks.