Meta has once again placed Instagram's privacy at the center of the debate. The company has launched Muse Image, its new AI image generator, and one of its most delicate features directly affects public profiles on the social network: any user will be able to mention an open account and ask Meta AI to create an image using their photos as a reference.
The idea, presented by Meta as a creative tool for designing invitations, graphics, or personalized compositions, has a much less friendly interpretation for millions of users. If an Instagram account is public, its images can serve as a basis for generating AI content without the owner receiving prior notification. The option can be deactivated, but the adjustment depends on the user themselves.
The move comes amidst the race among big tech companies to integrate artificial intelligence into all their products. Meta has already brought its assistant to WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, Messenger, and Threads, and now seeks to make image creation a part of the daily use of its applications. The problem is the same one the company has been dragging for years: how far can it use its users' content before clearly asking for permission.
An @ mention is enough to create an image
Muse Image works like other image generators. The user types a request and the tool creates an image from scratch or edits an existing photograph. The difference lies in its integration with Instagram. Meta allows mentioning an account by its username and using public photos from that profile to build a new image.
In practice, someone could ask the AI for a composition based on the appearance, style, or posts of a person with an open profile. Meta presents it as a way to "create with friends" or personalize content, but the system opens an obvious door to uncomfortable, offensive, or directly harmful uses for one's own image.
The company assures that the function will be subject to its community guidelines and that it will not allow the generation of sexual or derogatory content. It has also stated that minors' accounts are not included in this tool. Even so, the sensitive point remains. The user does not have to authorize each specific use of their photographs nor do they receive a notice when another person uses them as a reference.
The risk for creators, journalists, and public profiles
The measure especially affects those who need to keep their account open. Content creators, artists, journalists, activists, photographers, small businesses, or professionals who use Instagram as a showcase are exposed to a decision they don't always know about and that can go unnoticed within the application's settings.
Having a public profile does not equate to accepting any manipulation of one's personal image. That is one of the fundamental criticisms already being raised in Europe. In Spain, the right to one's own image is constitutionally protected, and several digital law experts warn that the creation of fake images with the appearance of another person can generate liabilities if it affects their honor, privacy, or image.
The debate is exacerbated because Meta has chosen a manual opt-out system. The tool does not ask for permission before activating this possibility on public profiles; instead, it forces the user to find the setting and turn it off. In privacy, that difference matters. It is not the same to expressly consent as to have to discover later that an option was already enabled.
Europe looks at Meta again
Meta arrives at this controversy with a complicated history in the European Union. In 2023, the Irish regulator imposed fines totaling 390 million euros on the company for infringements related to Facebook and Instagram and the use of an inadequate legal basis for personalized advertising. Since then, the company has remained under special surveillance for its way of handling personal data in Europe.
The new tool could open another regulatory front if European users report unauthorized uses of their image. The General Data Protection Regulation requires transparency, a clear purpose, and a sufficient legal basis for the processing of personal data. A photograph of a person is not a simple decorative file when it allows them to be identified or recreated in new contexts.
Meta insists that the user retains control over the feature. The problem for many users is that this control comes hidden in a setting and not in a prior authorization. The company has also not announced, for now, a different operation for the European Union compared to the United States.
How to deactivate the option on Instagram
The setting is within the Instagram app. You have to go into your profile, tap the three lines in the upper right corner, and open the settings menu. Then, you should look for the section “Sharing and remixes”.
Within that section, the option appears that allows other people to use public Instagram content with Meta's AI features. To prevent this, you must disable the controls related to posts and Reels. It may not appear on some accounts yet because the tool's rollout is progressive.
The safest alternative is to convert the profile to private, although this option is not useful for those who depend on the public visibility of their account. Meta is also already working on Muse Video, a similar tool aimed at video generation. The next privacy notice, therefore, may come with moving images.
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