Artists got an unpleasant surprise when they opened Photoshop this week, as they were shown a pop-up window asking them to agree to new terms of service. Among the changes: Adobe now says it has the right to access customers’ content through “automated or manual methods.”
Why does the company need to do this? There’s been speculation that it’s just generating thumbnail images for cloud storage, or it could be looking for child sexual abuse material. In a blog post Thursday, Adobe clarified it’s updated policy stating that it is “committed to transparency” and “protecting the rights of creators.”
The company also said that it does not train its generative AI model Firefly on users’ content, nor would it assume any ownership of their work.
Now it’s true that when we use cloud services, we sacrifice a certain amount of privacy. And it’s not unusual for social networks, for example, to claim similar rights — when you share your photos on Facebook, you’re also giving Facebook the right to use those photos. But we’re not talking about your personal Facebook or Instagram photos; Photoshop is used by many, many professional artists for their livelihoods. They might also be working on sensitive or confidential material.
For example, the designer Wetterschneider posted that if you’re under an NDA, “it is time to cancel Adobe, delete all the apps and programs. Adobe cannot be trusted.”
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