Photos of your kids are being used to train AI and there's nothing you can do

Human Rights Watch recently conducted an audit revealing that images of children, often taken from private social media accounts, are being used to train artificial intelligence models without parental consent. This practice raises significant privacy concerns, particularly as many of these images are not publicly accessible. The report highlights the risks associated with "sharenting," where parents share their children's lives online, often without considering the long-term implications. Children cannot consent to their images being shared, and the potential for their identities to be traced from these images poses serious privacy risks.

The Supreme Court's recent ruling against the Chevron doctrine complicates the situation further by limiting the power of federal agencies like the Federal Trade Commission to regulate such practices. This decision shifts the responsibility for privacy legislation to state governments, which may not act swiftly enough to address these concerns. As a result, the legality of using children's data for AI training may vary significantly depending on state laws.

The author argues for the need for stronger data privacy protections and ethical guidelines for technology companies, emphasizing that without meaningful regulations, Big Tech will continue to operate without accountability. Until such protections are established, parents are advised to reconsider sharing their children's images online, as the risks associated with data privacy remain high.