Meta automatically uses your public photos from Instagram for AI, here’s how to protect yourself

What is Muse Image and how does it work?

Meta’s new tool allows users to create completely new images based on existing photos. The company states that the tool has “advanced reasoning to understand complex instructions, seamlessly merge multiple photos into high-quality creations.” Within Instagram, the feature brings 30 new effects to Stories, including the popular effect that makes a photo look like it was taken with a disposable analog camera. The interface is built directly into Instagram’s editor. image, which allows users to preview the effects before applying.

However, the most controversial part lies in the remix function. Any user can tag your public profile in their text message, after which Meta AI will use your publicly available photos to create a completely new image based on your appearance. In its official announcement, Meta cheerfully explains: “Tagging a username allows Meta AI to use public photos to create post-ready visuals.” This practice, needless to say, opened the door to potential abuses.

Problematic practice of automatic inclusion

The decision to automatically include all public profiles over the age of 18 in the system without asking for permission caused an avalanche of criticism. Users are not informed in any way when their photos are used to create an AI-generated image, which further deepens the problem of lack of transparency and control over their own content.

Reactions were stormy on social networks like Reddit, and privacy fighters and even Hollywood unions like SAG-AFTRA spoke out, warning of the danger of unauthorized manipulation of images and characters of famous people. Many describe this feature as a “privacy minefield just waiting to explode”. As reported by Engadget, the situation is particularly sensitive in the European Union, where strict laws such as GDPR protect user data, so it is expected that this is not the end of the story.

How to block the use of your photos?

Fortunately, there is a way to prevent others from using your photos for AI remixes while still keeping your profile public. The procedure is relatively simple, but it is hidden deep in the application settings.

First, open the Instagram app and tap on your profile icon in the lower right corner. Then, in the upper right corner, tap the menu with three horizontal lines (known as the “hamburger” menu). Scroll down until you find the “Sharing and reuse” option. Within that section you will see a category called “Allow people to create with and reuse your content”. You need to touch that option and turn off the breaks for posts and reels.

Limited protection and wider context

It is important to note one key thing: disabling this option is not retroactive. This means that AI-generated images that are larger created using your photos will not be deleted after you change your settings. Once created, the content remains in the system.

The move is part of Meta’s broader strategy of using publicly available useful data to train its artificial intelligence models, a practice the company has been doing for a long time. while. While users in the European Union have the right to object to such data use, users in other parts of the world, such as the USA, have very limited protection options. The whole situation coincides with preparations for the implementation of the EU Act on Artificial Intelligence, a comprehensive legal framework that should enter into force in August 2026 and which will require significantly more transparency from technology companies.