SendTech Times
العربية
Capital & PolicyFunding|July 9, 2026, 03:45 AM
REGULATION WATCH:

Meta Faces Backlash Over AI Images From Public Instagram Photos

BySendTech Times Capital & Policy DeskNewsroom-edited, source-reviewed coverage|Source: BBC Technology
Newsroom brief

Meta is facing criticism after BBC reported that Muse Image can generate AI pictures using public Instagram profile photos for US users. Meta said public-account holders can opt out, while campaigners warned that the setting is separate from normal account privacy controls.

Verified against source materialEdited by SendTech Times Capital & Policy Desk
Meta Faces Backlash Over AI Images From Public Instagram Photos
Image source: BBC source image

Meta Muse Image Uses Public Instagram Profile Photos

Meta is facing criticism over Muse Image, an AI image tool that BBC reported can generate pictures using public Instagram profile photos for US users.

Meta says public-account holders can opt out, but campaigners and privacy groups criticised the separate setting needed to stop reuse.

The tool is available through the Meta AI app and web browser, and through WhatsApp and Instagram Stories in the US.

BBC described Muse Image as a text-to-image product that can create pictures from a short written prompt.

Donald Campbell, advocacy director at Foxglove, told BBC the feature was an "obvious recipe for disaster" after recent harms from non-consensual AI-altered images on social platforms.

Privacy International also criticised the feature, saying technology companies were treating people's images and data as raw material.

Public Instagram Accounts Need A Separate Opt-Out

Meta said a dedicated setting lets users block reuse of their public posts and reels for Instagram and AI features.

The setting is separate from normal account privacy controls and appears under Instagram's "Sharing and Reuse" menu.

BBC reported that private Instagram accounts are already unable to be shared through that setting.

For public accounts, users must disable the Instagram reuse option for posts and reels.

Meta said its terms allowed people to use others' content to generate images.

The company also said users can report an image if they believe it was generated from their image or likeness.

Ofcom Is Already Reviewing Non-Consensual AI Image Harm

The criticism arrives while Ofcom is reviewing X over Grok-related non-consensual AI images involving real people.

The regulator's review gives the Meta feature a platform-governance context, but BBC did not report that Ofcom had opened a separate investigation into Muse Image.

BBC also cited user concern on X about real users being pulled into generated photos without explicit consent.

Meta's stated control is an opt-out mechanism rather than an upfront approval step for public-account content.

Meta Has Not Named A Rollout Date Outside The US

Meta has not disclosed a rollout date outside the US, a default opt-in change, a specific audit process for likeness complaints or a public metric showing how often image reports are upheld.

Share this article
inXf

Related articles

More
Meta Muse Image Uses Public Instagram Posts Unless Users Opt Out
Capital & Policy

Meta Muse Image Uses Public Instagram Posts Unless Users Opt Out

Meta has launched Muse Image with Instagram integration that allows public profile photos and videos to be used in AI image generations by default. Users can switch off sharing in Instagram settings, but Meta says existing AI images made with their content will not be deleted and users will not be notified when someone creates them.

India Tells WhatsApp To Pause Usernames Rollout During Fraud Review
Capital & Policy

India Tells WhatsApp To Pause Usernames Rollout During Fraud Review

India's electronics ministry has told WhatsApp not to launch usernames in India until consultations finish. The notice gives the Meta-owned platform three days to explain how the feature would address fraud and impersonation risks.

India Orders Battery App Removals After E-Rickshaw Shutdown Reports
Capital & Policy

India Orders Battery App Removals After E-Rickshaw Shutdown Reports

India’s electronics ministry ordered app-store removals for BAT-BMS, Epoch-i-ion and Lossigy after reports that Bluetooth battery-management controls could disable e-rickshaws remotely. The removal order covers app-store distribution while the reported weakness sits in battery controls, and MeitY has not published a final investigation report or named the battery makers involved.

OCC Ends Patriot Bank Order After $5 Million Compliance Cost
Capital & Policy

OCC Ends Patriot Bank Order After $5 Million Compliance Cost

Banking Dive reported that the OCC terminated a risk-management enforcement action against Patriot Bank after roughly 18 months. The January 2025 order covered Bank Secrecy Act and anti-money laundering risk management, payment activities oversight and capital planning, while CEO Steven Sugarman said related expenses topped $5 million.

Aarogya Setu 2.0 Adds Google Gemma For India Health Records
Capital & Policy

Aarogya Setu 2.0 Adds Google Gemma For India Health Records

India launched Aarogya Setu 2.0 on June 29, 2026 as an AI-enabled personal health-record app using Google Gemma and a medical data toolkit, but public materials have not named an independent privacy audit or model-risk assessment.

Midjourney Seeks Studio AI Records Beyond Consumer-Facing Images
Capital & Policy

Midjourney Seeks Studio AI Records Beyond Consumer-Facing Images

Midjourney is asking a court to make Disney, Universal and Warner Bros. disclose more about their internal generative AI use in a copyright dispute. The court has not ruled on the latest request, and the filing does not identify specific internal studio models, datasets, contracts or licensing terms.

Keep Reading

More Stories

Latest
Telstra Outage Stops 300 Triple Zero Calls In AustraliaTelco & ConnectivityJul 9, 2026Telstra Outage Stops 300 Triple Zero Calls In AustraliaA Telstra outage in Australia disrupted mobile voice and data services and stopped 300 triple zero emergency calls, according to Light Reading. Telstra said just under 90% of calls and data services had been restored after 12 hours, but the report did not include total affected users, the full systems involved or any new redundancy plan.SpaceX And Orbital File 100,000-Satellite Plans At FCCCloud & Data CentersJul 9, 2026SpaceX And Orbital File 100,000-Satellite Plans At FCCSpaceX and Orbital Compute have filed separate FCC plans for 100,000 satellites each, with SpaceX targeting Starlink Gen 3 broadband and Orbital proposing space-based AI data-centre capacity. The filings do not include approvals, named customers, launch cadence or final commercial timetables.Rapidus Targets 2027 2nm Fab Ramp Without Volume CustomerChips & SemiconductorsJul 9, 2026Rapidus Targets 2027 2nm Fab Ramp Without Volume CustomerRapidus has EUV equipment running at its Chitose fab and plans 2nm mass production in 2027, but Tom's Hardware reported that the Japanese chipmaker still lacks a committed high-volume customer.Sony Wins OCC Conditional Trust Charter For Stablecoin UnitFintech & Digital PaymentsJul 9, 2026Sony Wins OCC Conditional Trust Charter For Stablecoin UnitSony disclosed that the OCC has conditionally approved a U.S. national trust bank for Connectia Trust, a Sony Financial Group subsidiary that would issue and manage dollar-denominated stablecoins. Sony said the unit will be capitalised at $40 million, while trade groups and consumer advocates objected to the charter path.Mastercard Says 77% Of Saudi SMEs Accept Online PaymentsFintech & Digital PaymentsJul 8, 2026Mastercard Says 77% Of Saudi SMEs Accept Online PaymentsMastercard research says 75% of Saudi SME leaders remain confident despite a fall from a 92% benchmark, while 77% accept online payments and the Saudi sample size is not disclosed.Naver And KAI Sign Defence AI MOU Without Weapons-Control TimelineAIJul 8, 2026Naver And KAI Sign Defence AI MOU Without Weapons-Control TimelineNaver, Naver Cloud and KAI signed a defence AI MOU for sovereign models and physical AI combat platforms, but the companies did not disclose budget, deployment timing, test results or weapons-control approvals.Elisa Claims AI Automation Cut Network Incidents By More Than 80%Telco & ConnectivityJul 8, 2026Elisa Claims AI Automation Cut Network Incidents By More Than 80%RCR Wireless News reported that Elisa says AI-powered automation has reduced customer-impacting network incidents by more than 80% and pushed preventive actions to 99%, while the operator still has not deployed Open RAN.AI Times Says Infrastructure Captures 82% Of Generative AI ValueCloud & Data CentersJul 8, 2026AI Times Says Infrastructure Captures 82% Of Generative AI ValueAI Times Korea cited Exponential View data showing 82% of measured AI-economy value going to cloud, GPU and inference infrastructure in Q1 2026, while foundation-model companies accounted for 11% and applications 7%.Klarna Seeks U.S. Industrial Bank Charter As Partner-Bank Model Faces ReviewFintech & Digital PaymentsJul 8, 2026Klarna Seeks U.S. Industrial Bank Charter As Partner-Bank Model Faces ReviewBanking Dive reported that Klarna applied for a U.S. industrial bank charter after the company said it had extended $91.3 billion in credit to U.S. consumers; the application still needs FDIC and Utah approval.SambaNova Raises $1 Billion For AI Inference Hardware Without IPO TimingChips & SemiconductorsJul 8, 2026SambaNova Raises $1 Billion For AI Inference Hardware Without IPO TimingTechCrunch reported that SambaNova Systems raised $1 billion at an $11 billion valuation, named JPMorganChase as an inference-infrastructure partner and did not give IPO timing or SN50 customer shipment dates beyond the second half of 2026.FuriosaAI Starts RNGD Accelerator Deployment At Equinix Lisbon DatacenterChips & SemiconductorsJul 8, 2026FuriosaAI Starts RNGD Accelerator Deployment At Equinix Lisbon DatacenterFuriosaAI has begun deploying its RNGD AI accelerators at Equinix’s LS2 datacenter in Lisbon as the South Korean chip startup looks for European sovereign AI demand. The company describes 48 GB of HBM3, 1.5 TB/s memory bandwidth and 512 teraFLOPS of dense FP8 performance per card, but its Broadcom-linked next-generation accelerator still depends on HBM4 and HBM4e timing.Kraken Targets European Banking Licence In 10-Year Licence PushFintech & Digital PaymentsJul 8, 2026Kraken Targets European Banking Licence In 10-Year Licence PushKraken is pursuing a full European banking licence with Lithuania as the focus jurisdiction, according to a person familiar with the plans. CEO Arjun Sethi said Kraken’s parent company aims to acquire licences over the next 10 years, while Kraken declined to comment and Lithuania’s central bank said licensing processes are confidential.