In short: Meta discontinued the preset function that allowed users to manipulate public photos from other Instagram profiles by entering the username.
Meta has discontinued a feature of its AI image generator Muse that allowed users to edit public photos from other Instagram profiles without consent. The withdrawal came after massive privacy protests from civil rights organizations and trade unions.
On 7 July 2026, Meta introduced the AI image generator Muse. The tool enabled text-based image generation, but was integrated with a preset function that gave users access to public photos from other Instagram accounts. Affected users could not disable the function individually; the only option was to set the entire profile to private.
Meta withdrew the feature after just a few days, justifying the move by saying it had heard the feedback and the feature had failed to achieve its goal. Background: Privacy International publicly criticized that technology companies increasingly treat personal data as raw material. The media union SAG-AFTRA also urged its members to protect their accounts and classified the profile as unsound behavior – especially since the risks of unwanted digital replications are already well known.
The incident reveals regulatory relevance: CDOs must expect that generative AI features will be implemented without privacy-by-design and then have to be withdrawn under pressure. Particularly critical: the opt-out option was not implemented granularly, but forced a protection binary (private or public profile). This contradicts data protection principles of the GDPR, which require data subject rights and transparency.
Source: www.it-daily.net · Published 13 July 2026
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