Popular social media apps are collecting your photos and posts to train AI programming
Social media expert Jeffrey Blevins tells Local 12 that privacy as we knew it is over
Did you read the fine print when you opened a social media account? Likely not, says Jeffrey Blevins, professor of journalism and political science at the University of Cincinnati.
"We are all presented with the terms of service before we use these platforms. We just scroll through and click 'I agree.' Who knows what we signed away in that process?” Blevins told Local 12 in a segment on how social media platforms cull personal data from your social media accounts.
The plane has already left...
Jeffrey Blevins UC social media expert
UC social media expert Jeffrey Blevins, professor of journalism and political science. Photo/Andrew Higley/UC Marketing + Brand.
For example, if you use META platforms such as Facebook and Instagram there is a long list of information, including your birthdate and social security number, that the platform has acquired and can keep, the segment states.
"The plane has already left, you know? It has departed the airport, and it isn't coming back," said Blevins.
While millions of Facebook users have accepted this loss of privacy, that's not the case everywhere in the world. Europeans, for instance, have more laws that protect their personal information.
Featured image at top: iStock/Victolillo.
Impact Lives Here
The University of Cincinnati is leading public urban universities into a new era of innovation and impact. Our faculty, staff and students are saving lives, changing outcomes and bending the future in our city's direction. Next Lives Here.
Related Stories
From hobbyist photographer to professional educator
October 9, 2026
DAAP alum and photographer HATSUE studied communication design after a pivot in high school from a track toward veterinary school. Today, they teach photography at 1001 Colors white working as an artist and curator in Cincinnati.
UC researcher to launch national study with $2.5 million NIH grant
October 9, 2026
A University of Cincinnati researcher has received a $2.5 million National Institutes of Health grant to conduct research during the next five years. Natalie Kreitzer, MD, a University of Cincinnati College of Medicine physician-researcher, received an R01 independent research grant from the NIH's Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. The funding will support a test program for caregivers of patients with traumatic brain injury, as reported by the Cincinnati Business Courier.
Simple ways to find a deeper sense of happiness and well being
October 8, 2026
UC assistant professor Suzie White, featured in an AARP story on practical ways to live a happier, healthier life, shared research-backed strategies for increasing well-being through gratitude and service to others. White teaches Happiness in Action, a course that helps students apply the science of happiness in everyday life.