Adobe says that it will update the language of its terms of service to reflect that it doesn’t rely on user content to train any generative AI tool. This comes after the company recently updated its terms of service, where Adobe said that it “may access, view or listen to your content through both automated and manual methods” but only in limited ways as applicable by law. This included purposes such as responding to feedback or support requests, detecting and preventing fraud or other legal and technical issues, and screening for illegal content.
Another part of the updated terms of service also says that for Adobe to operate or improve its Services and Software, users grant it a license ” to use, reproduce, publicly display, distribute, modify, create derivative works based on, publicly perform, and translate the Content.”
Users were sent a notification to re-accept the terms of service, which led to major backlash on X (formerly Twitter). Many argued that through this access, the company could use customer data to train its AI models and that they amount to theft of the users’ work.
The backlash against Adobe’s updated terms of service highlights the growing concerns and sensitivity around how companies use user data and content, particularly for training artificial intelligence models. In a similar situation, Meta recently saw complaints from the Norwegian Consumer Council and the privacy rights group None of Your Business (NOYB) for changes to its privacy policy that allow Meta to use public information shared by customers to train AI models.
The company put out a blog post regarding the updated terms on June 6, stating that it needs access to user content to:
It released yet another clarification on June 10, emphasising that users own their content and that Adobe would never use this content to train generative AI models. Further, it said that the same would be added to its terms of service to assure people that the company has a legal obligation not to use their data for training purposes. It further mentioned that the licenses required to operate its products use the standard statutory copyright rights but will now include plain English examples of what they mean and why they are required.
The updated terms of service will be rolled out by June 18, 2024.
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