Meta has quietly introduced a way for Australians to stop it from training its AI on their user data, but never announced it, leaving the choice effectively hidden for more than a year. There was a furious public backlash in mid-2024 when it was revealed Meta was using photos, posts and comments stretching back to 2007 to train its AI, and Australians were told that, unlike EU citizens, they could not opt out because of weaker privacy protections. ABC News has learned an "objection" form has been available locally since July 2025, buried within privacy settings. Tom Sulston from Digital Rights Watch said people have to dig through privacy policies and support pages, and that many who would like to use the option will not find out about it. The objection form has been available in the EU since 2024, but no separate announcement was made when it was added in Australia a year later, and there have been no reports of users being notified directly by Meta. According to Meta, users who submit a form will get an email confirming the company will not use their public data to train its AI in the future; accounts set to "private" are already exempt, as are all private messages and accounts belonging to users under 18. Meta has not shared why it made the decision, and the relevant sections of the Australian Privacy Act have not changed in recent years.