Meta removes Instagram AI tagging after privacy backlash

Meta launched Muse Image, an AI image‑generation tool that could automatically use public Instagram photos and audio to create synthetic content. The feature was enabled by default, requiring users to manually opt out via the “Sharing and reuse” settings. Within days, creators, privacy advocates, and groups such as SAG‑AFTRA criticized the tool for allowing deep‑fake generation without consent, especially for public accounts and minors. In response, Meta disabled the tagging component that let users reference other public profiles, but the broader Muse Image feature remains active and still requires an opt‑out. The controversy has raised concerns for ordinary users, public figures, and small businesses that rely on Instagram for marketing, prompting calls for stronger privacy defaults and clearer user controls.

Meta’s rapid reversal marks one of the swiftest product pullbacks in the tech industry, highlighting ongoing tensions between AI development and user privacy expectations.