Snapchat’s My Selfie Feature Could Use Your Face in Ads. Here’s How to Stop It
Snapchat has always embraced AI, whether it was through the release of its own AI chatbot or its real-time AR effects that use generative AI. Most of the features are fun and harmless. However, Snapchat’s My Selfie feature automatically opts you in to having your My Selfie data used in marketing materials.
The My Selfie feature tells you what it’s all about during setup, but it’s pretty easy to skip it and continue with the process. The screen explaining the feature doesn’t appear until near the end of the process, when you’ve already taken a selfie and given Snapchat other images. 404 Media Found an example of someone’s likeness used in an advertisement on Reddit.
“My Selfie will be used to power Generative AI, Cameos, and other experiences on Snapchat that feature you, including ads,” the warning reads. “By tapping Agree and Continue, you agree to the My Selfie terms and give Snap and your friends permission to use your likeness and My Selfies on Snapchat.” The text is repeated on Snap Support Website.
A Snap spokesperson confirmed to CNET that while the company reserves the right to use My Selfie data for advertising in the future, it is not currently doing so.
Read more: I tried out Snap’s new standalone AR glasses, which support mixed reality, AI, and outdoor use
“Advertisers do not have access to Snapchatters’ My Selfie data in any way, including My Selfies,” a Snap spokesperson said in an email. “They also do not have access to Snapchatters’ private data, including Memories, which allows them to create an AI-generated image of an individual Snapchatter.”
The spokesperson said Snap investigated the Reddit story and that the advertiser in question “has a history of advertising on Snapchat, and we believe the ad in question does not violate any of our policies.”
Snap encourages users to report ads that may use their likeness without consent.
With a few simple steps, you can prevent Snapchat from using your My Selfie data in ads.
You can prevent Snapchat from using your My Selfie data in ads in a few short steps. The setting is enabled by default, likely because you have to agree to the terms when setting up My Selfie. Here’s how to turn it off.
- Open Snapchat on your phone.
- Tap your profile picture in the top left corner.
- Tap the gear in the top right corner.
- Scroll to the My selfie setting and tap it.
- Uncheck the box that says See my selfie in ads.
You can also use this section of the menu to manage your My Selfie data in other ways, like preventing people from using it in Cameos and AI Snaps. For additional privacy, you can also set your My Selfie data to only be viewable by Friends, Best Friends, Only You, or you can specifically customize who can use it. You can also remove it from that menu if you don’t want to use the feature.
