Versions of the post, which appears to have been composed in response to a June announcement by Meta that it would use public posts to train its AI systems, have been circulating for three weeks now. But it has gained momentum in recent days as the viral posts snowball. Google searches for “Goodbye Meta AI” have spiked.

It’s important to put logic before emotion. Can you really opt out of a mass data collection system by simply copying and pasting what your great uncle with questionable views posted to her own Facebook profile?

Don’t take my word for it. A Meta spokesperson also slammed the post: “Sharing this story does not count as a valid form of objection,” they said. Meta’s fact-checking teams on Instagram are calling it “false information.”

Such so-called copypasta has been circulating the internet for years. Similar blocking messages with legalese have been circulating since 2012, when Facebook falsely rumored that it was about to start sharing private photos and messages publicly. The same concerns were raised four years later, when the Guardian gently quelled the panic. Both messages used similar wording, including citing “UCC 1-308-1 1 308-103” and the Rome Statute.

Even though these messages may seem innocent and sharing them may feel like a risk, I would encourage you not to be seduced by them. Digital literacy is more important than ever in the age of AI and it is vital that we recognize copypasta nonsense for what it is.

Not only does sharing false information like this make you appear naive, it’s also an exercise in futility when there are real ways to push back against big tech using your data. Meta says it will send out notifications informing users that it plans to train its AI systems on user data, and will give people the ability to opt out. You’ll fill out a short form and submit it to Meta, and all public data will be deleted (Meta has already confirmed that it won’t train its systems on anything you haven’t shared publicly).

But if you miss that, or you’d like to get ahead of it, you can proactively opt out. Click on “Settings and Privacy” in Facebook, then “Privacy Center,” and you’ll get some text about the AI ​​opt-in. The second paragraph starts: “You have the right to object.” Click that to be taken to a form where you can express your grievances.

As AI evolves, it’s critical that we all stay informed about the real threats to our data and how to combat them. We also need to resist distractions like “Goodbye Meta AI.”