A newly tested Facebook feature is raising global privacy concerns, including in Pakistan, as reports suggest that Meta’s AI may be scanning users’ private images stored on their smartphones without their explicit consent.
Back in June, Meta announced an AI-driven feature that automatically generates “creative ideas” such as collages and story highlights. According to TechCrunch, the tool works by analyzing photos in a user’s phone camera roll, even if those images were never uploaded to Facebook.
Meta initially stated that users would be asked to opt in through a prompt while creating a Story. However, as reported by ZDNet, some Facebook accounts appear to have had the feature switched on without showing the opt-in option, leaving users unaware that their personal photos could be processed by AI.
For Pakistani users, this development is alarming given the absence of strict data protection laws comparable to Europe’s GDPR. With Facebook being one of the most widely used platforms in Pakistan, experts warn that millions of users could unknowingly have their personal and family photos scanned, categorized, and processed by Meta’s systems.
Meta has claimed that the data is deleted after 30 days and that AI-generated suggestions remain visible only to the user. The company also insists that photo scans are not used for targeted advertising. Still, privacy advocates argue that such practices blur the line between user consent and hidden surveillance.
How Pakistani Users Can Disable the Feature
The setting is currently available only in the iOS and Android Facebook apps, and only if Meta has activated the test on your account. To turn it off:
-
Open the Facebook app.
-
Tap the Menu (three stacked lines) → Settings & Privacy.
-
Go to Preferences → Camera roll sharing suggestions.
-
If the option is present, turn off both: Get camera roll suggestions when browsing Facebook and Allow cloud processing for creative ideas.
The feature currently processes images from the past 30 days and remains under limited testing. However, its gradual rollout suggests more accounts in Pakistan could be affected in the coming months.
Until stronger digital privacy regulations are enforced, experts recommend Pakistani users remain vigilant about app permissions and disable features that grant Meta unnecessary access to personal data.