The photo-sharing platform EyeEm is sparking user concern with a new policy allowing users to license user-uploaded photos to train artificial intelligence (AI).
This comes after EyeEm’s acquisition by Spanish company Freepik last year.
In an email sent to users earlier this month, EyeEm announced a change to their Terms & Conditions:
The update grants them the right to use user content “to train, develop, and improve software, algorithms, and machine-learning models.”
The catch?
Users only have 30 days to opt-out by deleting all their photos from the platform. This short window upsets many users, especially considering the deletion process can take up to six months (180 days) to complete across EyeEm and partner platforms.
In simpler terms, if you don’t remove your photos within a month, EyeEm can license them for AI development. Even if you request deletion after that, the license may still apply until the pictures are completely gone from all platforms.
This policy shift has many EyeEm users worried. They question whether they truly own the rights to their photos and criticize the short opt-out window with a lengthy deletion process.
EyeEm has yet to respond publicly to the user backlash. It’s important to note that this policy change is still very new, and how it will play out for users remains to be seen.
However, for those concerned about their photos being used for AI training, manually deleting them from EyeEm seems to be the only way to opt out for now.
