Family Photo Apps

Guide

Does Facebook use your photos to train AI? What Meta's own pages say

Public photos: Meta's own pages say they may be used. Meta's Privacy Policy lists public content people create or share among the information it may use to develop and improve AI at Meta, and Facebook's and Instagram's help pages say public posts and photos may be used for AI at Meta. Private messages: Meta says it doesn't use their content to train its AIs unless someone in the chat shares them with its AIs. Friends-only posts: in 2023 Meta said it didn't train the models behind its 2023 AI features on people's private posts, and its 2024 and 2025 UK and EU announcements describe training on public content; its current Privacy Center lists 'posts or photos' without saying public or not, and none of the pages we checked uses the term Friends-only.

Facts checked 2026-10-20 · Updated 2026-10-20

Public photos: yes, they may be, by Meta’s own account. Private messages: no, unless someone in the chat shares them with Meta’s AIs. Friends-only posts: Meta said in 2023 that the models behind its 2023 AI features weren’t trained on private posts; its current pages we checked don’t use the term Friends-only. Every sentence about Meta below quotes or restates Meta’s own Privacy Policy, Privacy Center, help pages or newsroom, with a numbered source and an archived copy of each page.

What Meta says it uses

Meta’s Privacy Policy, effective July 23, 2026, lists “Develop and improve AI at Meta for Meta Products and for third parties” as one of the ways it processes information.[1] The information it says it may use for that includes “Public content you or others create or share, like posts, comments or audio on Meta Products”, and your interactions with Meta’s AI features, including “content and messages you or others exchange with these features”.[1]

Meta’s Privacy Center page on generative AI lists where its training information comes from: information available on the internet, information from third parties, and “Information shared on Meta Products including things like posts or photos and their captions, and your interactions with features that are part of AI at Meta”.[2]

Facebook’s and Instagram’s help pages say the same about public posts. Facebook’s page on public information says public information can “Be used for AI at Meta”.[3] Instagram’s page on public and private accounts says: “Your public posts, photos, videos and comments may be used for AI at Meta.”[4]

In September 2023 Meta wrote that “Publicly shared posts from Instagram and Facebook – including photos and text – were part of the data used to train” the generative AI models behind the features it announced then, and that “We didn’t train these models using people’s private posts.”[5]

Public, Friends and private: what counts as public

On Facebook, a post is public when you choose Public in the audience selector; Facebook’s help page says “it’s considered public information”, and that public information “can be seen by anyone, including non-friends, people off Facebook, and media outlets”. It adds: “If you share something and you don’t see an audience selector or another privacy setting, that information is also public.”[3] The same selector offers Friends and Only Me. Choosing a new audience changes only that post; the next post uses the default audience in your privacy settings.[6]

Some things are public whatever you choose. Meta’s Privacy Policy lists your profile picture among the information that is “always public”.[7] Facebook’s help page says your Public Profile includes your profile picture and cover photo, and “This info is also public”.[3] Posts and comments in a public group are public too.[6] So a baby photo used as a profile picture or a cover photo, or posted in a public group, is public information under Meta’s own definitions.[7][3][6]

Other people can also make what you share public. Facebook’s help page says: “Others can make your shared info public, even if you didn’t.”[3]

What about Friends-only posts? Meta’s September 2023 post said, of the models behind the AI features it announced then, “We didn’t train these models using people’s private posts.”[5] Its UK (2024) and EU (2025) announcements describe training on public content shared by adults.[8][9] Its current Privacy Policy’s AI entry names public content,[1] and its current Privacy Center lists “posts or photos and their captions” among training sources without saying public or not.[2] None of the pages we checked uses the term Friends-only. Separately, the Privacy Policy says Meta uses information including “Content you create, like posts, comments or audio” to “develop, research and test improvements to Meta Products”, which is a different entry from the AI entry in its list.[10]

Can you object? It depends where you live

In the EU. On 14 April 2025 Meta announced plans to train AI at Meta “using public content —like public posts and comments— shared by adults on our products in the EU”, with notifications that “include a link to a form where people can object to their data being used in this way at any time”.[9]

In the UK. In September 2024 Meta said it would use “public information – such as public posts and comments, or public photos and captions – from accounts of adult users on Instagram and Facebook” in the UK, and that people would be told “how they can access an objection form at any time”.[8]

In the US. Meta’s United States Regional Privacy Notice says that “Depending on where you live and subject to certain exceptions” you may have rights including to know, to correct, to delete your personal information and to opt out of targeted advertising.[11] It doesn’t list a right to object to AI training, and the Meta pages we checked don’t describe an AI-training objection form for people in the US.[11] Meta’s April 2025 post says of training on public content: “This is how we have been training our generative AI models for other regions since launch.”[9]

Our own suggestion, not a Meta control for AI: because Meta’s Privacy Policy and help pages name public content,[1][3][4] keeping a post’s audience to Friends or smaller is the one step open to everyone, wherever they live.

Photos of children

Meta’s age statements are about the account, not the people in the photo. It says “public data from the accounts of people in the EU under the age of 18 is not being used for training purposes”,[9] and “we do not use information from accounts of people in the UK under the age of 18”.[8] Instagram accounts of people under 18 are private by default, though Instagram says teens aged 16 and 17 can switch to public without permission unless a parent or guardian has set up supervision.[12]

A baby photo is usually posted from a parent’s account. Meta’s Privacy Center says it may process information about someone to develop and improve AI at Meta even if they don’t use its products, for example “if you appear anywhere in an image shared on our Products by someone who does use them”.[13] Meta’s pages we checked don’t say whether public photos of children posted by adults are excluded from training.[9][8][13]

Private messages

Meta says: “We do not use the content of your private messages with friends and family to train our AIs unless you or someone in the chat chooses to share those messages with our AIs.”[14] In an update dated 27 March 2026 to its April 2025 post, Meta added that “we may train our AIs on messages that people choose to share with our AI features”.[9] Chats with Meta’s AI features are a separate category: the Privacy Policy lists them among the information it may use to develop and improve AI at Meta.[1]

The Privacy Policy’s separate entry on developing and improving Meta Products lists “Messages you send and receive, including their content, subject to applicable law”.[10] That entry is separate from the AI entry, which doesn’t list private messages.[1] For WhatsApp, see Is WhatsApp safe for family photos?, which quotes WhatsApp’s own pages on encryption.

Your camera roll

In October 2025 Meta rolled out an opt-in Facebook feature, for people in the US and Canada, that “suggests the best photos and videos from your camera roll” and makes collages and edits.[15] Meta says: “We don’t use media from your camera roll to improve AI at Meta, unless you choose to edit this media with our AI tools, or share.”[15]

What changed in 2025 and 2026

  • 14 April 2025: Meta announced AI training on public content from adults in the EU, with an objection form.[9]
  • 1 October 2025: Meta said that, in most regions, it would use people’s interactions with AI at Meta “to personalize the content and ads you see”, from 16 December 2025.[16]
  • 17 October 2025: the opt-in camera roll suggestions reached the US and Canada.[15]
  • 27 March 2026: Meta updated its April 2025 post on messages people choose to share with its AI features.[9]
  • 23 July 2026: the current Meta Privacy Policy took effect.[1]

What you can do

These are our suggestions, not Meta’s. Share baby photos with Friends or a smaller list rather than Public, and check that your default audience isn’t Public. Leave them out of your profile picture, cover photo and public groups, which are public whatever you choose. Facebook’s help pages describe a tool to limit who can see your past posts,[6] and say tagging someone can show a photo to the tagged person’s friends, a setting you can turn off for each post.[17] If you want the photos somewhere no AI runs on them, the no-AI ranking compares fourteen photo apps on what each says, and Facebook vs a private family album weighs the trade-offs, including where Facebook is better.

Corrections

The facts-checked date at the top of this page is the newest date on which we checked the Meta pages listed below, each with an archived copy. These pages can change; we re-check them every week. If you find an error, or a Meta page that says something different, email hello@familyphotoapps.com with the passage and the link, and we will check it against Meta’s page and correct this one.

Sources

  1. Meta Privacy Policy — Meta Privacy Policy (effective July 23, 2026): Why and how we process your information, checked 2026-10-20 · archived copy
    Develop and improve AI at Meta for Meta Products and for third parties. … Public content you or others create or share, like posts, comments or audio on Meta Products … Interactions with our features that are part of AI at Meta and related metadata. For example, information like content and messages you or others exchange with these features.
  2. Meta Privacy Center — How Meta uses information for generative AI models and features, checked 2026-10-20 · archived copy
    Since it takes such a large amount of data to teach effective models, a combination of sources are used for training including: … Information that is available on the internet … Information shared on Meta Products including things like posts or photos and their captions, and your interactions with features that are part of AI at Meta
  3. Facebook Help Center — Public information on Facebook, checked 2026-10-20 · archived copy
    Public information can be seen by anyone, including non-friends, people off Facebook, and media outlets. … Your Public Profile includes your name, gender, username and user ID (account number), profile picture, and cover photo. This info is also public. … When you choose to share something with Public (example: when you select Public from the audience selector), it’s considered public information. If you share something and you don’t see an audience selector or another privacy setting, that information is also public. … Others can make your shared info public, even if you didn't. … Be accessible to third-parties who use our Research Tools. Be used for AI at Meta.
  4. Instagram Help Center — Differences between public and private accounts on Instagram: things to keep in mind, checked 2026-10-20 · archived copy
    If someone was already following you before you set your posts to private and you don't want them to see your posts, you can remove them from your followers list or block them. … Your followers can share your photos and videos in messages unless you update your settings. Only people who follow you can see what’s shared. … Private posts you share to social networks may be visible to the public depending on your privacy settings for those networks. … Your public posts, photos, videos and comments may be used for AI at Meta.
  5. Meta Newsroom, 27 September 2023 — Privacy Matters: Meta’s Generative AI Features, checked 2026-10-20 · archived copy
    Publicly shared posts from Instagram and Facebook – including photos and text – were part of the data used to train the generative AI models underlying the features we announced at Connect. We didn’t train these models using people’s private posts.
  6. Facebook Help Center — Choose who can see your post on Facebook, checked 2026-10-20 · archived copy
    Click the audience you’d like to see your content (example: Friends, Public or Only Me). … If you choose a new audience for your post, you’ll only change the audience for that specific post. The next time you post, the audience will go back to the default audience you selected in your privacy settings. … Some things you share on Facebook will always be public. For example, when you post or comment in a public group, your post or comment will be public and can be seen by anyone. … If you tag someone in a post, the tagged person’s friends may also see the post. … Limit who can see your past posts
  7. Meta Privacy Policy — Meta Privacy Policy: Public content, checked 2026-10-20 · archived copy
    Some of your information and activity are always public. This includes your: … Facebook and Instagram username; Profile picture; Activity on public groups, Facebook Pages and channels … When content is public, it can be seen by anyone on or across our Products, and in some cases off our Products, even if they don’t have an account.
  8. Meta Newsroom, 13 September 2024 — Building AI Technology for the UK in a Responsible and Transparent Way, checked 2026-10-20 · archived copy
    we do not use information from accounts of people in the UK under the age of 18. We’ll use public information – such as public posts and comments, or public photos and captions – from accounts of adult users on Instagram and Facebook to improve generative AI models for our AI at Meta features and experiences, including for people in the UK. … how they can access an objection form at any time to object to their data being used to train our generative AI models.
  9. Meta Newsroom, 14 April 2025 (updated 27 March 2026) — Making AI Work Harder for Europeans, checked 2026-10-20 · archived copy
    Today, we’re announcing our plans to train AI at Meta using public content —like public posts and comments— shared by adults on our products in the EU. … These notifications will also include a link to a form where people can object to their data being used in this way at any time. … We do not use the content of your private messages with friends and family to train our AIs, unless you or someone in the chat chooses to share those messages with our AIs. (Updated on March 27, 2026 at 1:00PM PT to clarify that people can share messages with our AI features, and we may train our AIs on messages that people choose to share with our AI features.) Additionally, public data from the accounts of people in the EU under the age of 18 is not being used for training purposes. … This is how we have been training our generative AI models for other regions since launch.
  10. Meta Privacy Policy — Meta Privacy Policy (effective July 23, 2026): How do we use your information?, checked 2026-10-20 · archived copy
    We also use information to develop, research and test improvements to Meta Products. … Content you create, like posts, comments or audio … Messages you send and receive, including their content, subject to applicable law
  11. Meta Privacy Center — United States Regional Privacy Notice (effective May 23, 2025), checked 2026-10-20 · archived copy
    Depending on where you live and subject to certain exceptions, you may have some or all of the following rights: … The right to request that we delete your Personal Information that we have collected from or about you. … The right to opt out of the processing of your Personal Information for purposes that may be considered “targeted advertising” under applicable U.S. privacy laws
  12. Instagram Help Center — Make your Instagram account private, checked 2026-10-20 · archived copy
    If you’re under 18, your Instagram account is private by default. Teens under 16 will need their parent’s or guardian’s permission to switch their accounts to public. Teens 16-17 can change their accounts to public without permission, unless they have set up supervision with their parent or guardian. … Keep in mind that business profiles aren't able to make their accounts private.
  13. Meta Privacy Center — How Meta uses information for generative AI models and features, checked 2026-10-20 · archived copy
    Even if you don’t use our Products or have an account, we may still process information about you to develop and improve AI at Meta. For example, this could happen if you appear anywhere in an image shared on our Products by someone who does use them or if someone mentions information about you in posts or captions that they share on our Products.
  14. Meta Privacy Center — How Meta uses information for generative AI models and features, checked 2026-10-20 · archived copy
    We do not use the content of your private messages with friends and family to train our AIs unless you or someone in the chat chooses to share those messages with our AIs.
  15. Meta Newsroom, 17 October 2025 — New Facebook Feature Suggests Edits and Collages to Share, checked 2026-10-20 · archived copy
    This opt-in feature suggests the best photos and videos from your camera roll and creates fun collages and edits … We don’t use media from your camera roll to improve AI at Meta, unless you choose to edit this media with our AI tools, or share. … We’ve now rolled out the option to use this feature to people in the US and Canada.
  16. Meta Newsroom, 1 October 2025 — Improving Your Recommendations on Our Apps With AI at Meta, checked 2026-10-20 · archived copy
    We will soon use your interactions with AI at Meta to personalize the content and ads you see, including things like posts and reels. … We’ll start to use your AI interactions to personalize content and ads recommendations after these changes go into effect on December 16. We’re rolling out these changes in most regions, and we hope to offer these more personalized experiences everywhere soon.
  17. Facebook Help Center — When you tag someone in a post or photo, who can see it, checked 2026-10-20 · archived copy
    When you tag someone, that photo or post may be shared with both the person tagged and their friends. This means that if you haven't already included their friends in the audience, their friends may now be able to see it. … If you don't want your photo, post or other content to be visible to the friends of the person tagged, you can turn this setting off for each post before or after you post it.
Across all fourteen apps

Does Grandma need an app? · What 'end-to-end encrypted' means for family photos · Video limits in family photo apps · Which family photo apps compress your photos?

Each app’s safety guide

Is the Kin Album app safe and private? · Is FamilyAlbum safe? · Is Tinybeans safe? · Is Google Photos safe for family sharing? · Are iCloud Shared Albums safe? · Is Amazon Photos safe? · Is WhatsApp safe for family photos? · Is PhotoCircle safe? · Is Keepr Circle safe? · Is 23snaps safe? · Is TinyNest safe? · Is BackThen safe? · Is Qeepsake safe? · Is Cluster safe?

Also

Is a private Instagram safe for baby photos? → Facebook vs a private family album for baby photos → Best family photo app with no AI on your photos →

Questions people ask

Does Facebook use my photos to train AI?

Public ones may be used, by Meta’s own account. Its Privacy Policy lists ‘Public content you or others create or share, like posts, comments or audio on Meta Products’ among the information it may use to ‘Develop and improve AI at Meta’, and Facebook’s help page on public information says it can ‘Be used for AI at Meta’. For non-public posts, Meta’s newsroom said in September 2023, about the models behind the AI features it announced then, ‘We didn’t train these models using people’s private posts’, and its UK (2024) and EU (2025) announcements describe training on public content shared by adults. Its current Privacy Center lists ‘posts or photos and their captions’ among training sources without saying public or not, and none of the pages we checked uses the term Friends-only.

Does Instagram use my photos to train AI?

Instagram’s help page says: ‘Your public posts, photos, videos and comments may be used for AI at Meta.’ For private posts, Meta said in September 2023, about the models behind the AI features it announced then, ‘We didn’t train these models using people’s private posts.’ Its current Privacy Policy names public content for AI, and its Privacy Center lists ‘posts or photos’ without saying public or not. We found no current Meta page that says private-account posts are excluded.

Can I opt out of Meta using my photos for AI in the US?

Meta’s announcements for the EU (2025) and the UK (2024) describe an objection form for training on public content. Meta’s United States Regional Privacy Notice lists rights to know, correct, delete and opt out of targeted advertising, depending on where you live; it doesn’t list a right to object to AI training, and we found no AI objection form for the US on the Meta pages we checked. Our own suggestion, not a Meta control for AI: because Meta’s Privacy Policy and help pages name public content, keeping a post’s audience to Friends or smaller is the one step open to everyone.

Does Meta use private messages to train AI?

Meta says: ‘We do not use the content of your private messages with friends and family to train our AIs unless you or someone in the chat chooses to share those messages with our AIs.’

Does Meta use photos of children to train AI?

Meta says it doesn’t use public data from the accounts of people under 18 in the EU, or information from accounts of people under 18 in the UK. Those statements are about the account holder’s age. Meta’s pages we checked don’t say whether public photos of children posted by adults are excluded, and its Privacy Center says it may process information about people who appear in images others share.

Every question on the site, on one page →