Facebook's new AI tool asks to upload your photos sparking privacy concerns

Facebook is introducing a feature that requests users to upload images from their phones to create AI-generated collages and story ideas. This pop-up asks for permission to "allow cloud processing" during Story creation.

According to TechCrunch, users report a new pop-up message asking them for permission to "allow cloud processing" when they are attempting to post a new Story on Facebook.

"To create ideas for you, we'll select media from your camera roll and upload it to our cloud on an ongoing basis, based on info like time, location or themes," the company notes in the pop-up. "Only you can see suggestions. Your media won't be used for ads targeting. We'll check it for safety and integrity purposes."

The company promises that "Only you can see suggestions" and that photos won't be used for targeted ads. However, experts express concerns about privacy and data retention, as it's unclear how long uploaded photos will be kept or who might access them. Currently, this feature is limited to users in the U.S. and Canada and can be opted out at any time. This move reflects a trend of integrating AI features, often at the expense of user privacy.