Tumblr and Wordpress to Sell Users’ Data to Train AI Tools
Feb 27, 2024 - 404media.co
Tumblr and Wordpress are reportedly planning to sell user data to Midjourney and OpenAI, as per internal sources and documents. The specifics of the data to be shared are not clear, but it is evident that deals between Automattic, the parent company of the platforms, and OpenAI and Midjourney are on the horizon. The internal documentation also reveals a contentious process within Tumblr, with a product manager, Cyle Gage, stating that a data preparation query for OpenAI and Midjourney compiled more user posts than intended.
It remains unclear whether this data has already been transferred to OpenAI and Midjourney, or if Gage was describing a data cleansing process before its transfer. The post also suggests that the process has been messy and controversial within Tumblr itself.
Key takeaways:
Tumblr and Wordpress are reportedly preparing to sell user data to Midjourney and OpenAI.
The exact types of data to be sold are not specified in the documentation reviewed.
Internal documentation reveals a controversial process within Tumblr, with a query compiling more user posts than intended.
It is unclear whether this data has already been sent to OpenAI and Midjourney or if it will be scrubbed before sending.
