Muse Image faces backlash over privacy concerns and automatic user opt-in
issued Saturday, July 11, 2026 · 12:49 PM
[MEXICO CITY] Meta Inc. announced on Friday (July 10) that it is discontinuing an artificial intelligence feature launched this week that allowed users to generate images using their public Instagram accounts, after drawing widespread criticism from Hollywood unions and others citing privacy concerns.
“Our goal was to provide useful creative tools and give people control over whether their public content can be viewed in this way,” Mehta said in a statement.
“We heard feedback that this feature missed the mark and is no longer available,” the company said.
Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, on Tuesday launched Muse Image, Meta Superintelligence Labs’ first image generation model.
This feature is integrated into the Meta AI chatbot, which allows photos to be used as input and allows users to edit the generated images directly through sketching.
The feature quickly faced backlash due to privacy concerns and automatic user opt-in.
Emmy Award-winning actor Hanna Einbinder, best known for “Hacks,” criticized the feature on Instagram, saying it was turned on automatically and urging users to turn it off.
SAG-Aftra, the union that represents actors and other media professionals, also on Thursday urged its members and other Instagram users to opt out of the feature.
“This type of use of Instagram users’ images is unacceptable for anything other than a clear and visible opt-in, and is a complete miscalculation of public sentiment regarding the clear danger and harm inherent in such use,” SAG-Aftra said.
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Following Meta’s decision to remove this feature, SAG-Aftra welcomed the move.
“We all know the dangers of non-consensual digital replicas, and any feature that facilitates that behavior is unwise. We welcome its repeal. It’s the responsible thing to do,” a union spokesperson said.
The reversal reflects growing pressure on technology companies to give users clear control over how publicly shared content is used by AI capabilities. Reuters
