Every consumer app has a settings menu that lets you make decisions about things like notifications or dark mode. Meta just decided that anyone can create AI images of you from your public Instagram account by typing your Instagram handle into a command prompt.
On July 7, Meta launched its AI image generation model Muse Image. It integrates with public Instagram accounts. Now all someone has to do is highlight your account in a command prompt and they can use Meta AI to create an image with your likeness. Per Meta’s own policies, you won’t be notified if someone does this, making it difficult to know when and how your likeness has been used.
According to Meta, Muse Image aims to make AI image creation more personal by allowing people to reference public Instagram accounts in their prompts. This may sound funny when you create images of yourself. It’s less attractive if someone else can do the same thing with your account.
Meta lets you opt out, although finding the setting is its own adventure. Go to Instagram Settings and Activity > Share and Reuse, Then turn off the setting that allows others to create AI images with you. Depending on your app version, the wording may vary and the feature is still rolling out, starting in the US, so you may not see the setting yet.
You would have hoped that when you open Instagram, Meta would tell you “Turn this off if you don’t want it” up front with a big, noticeable message, but that’s not the case. You’d also hope that the company would retroactively remove any pictures someone took of you before you logged out, but that doesn’t happen either.
Opting out will only prevent future image generation. Any AI images that someone created before you disabled the setting will still remain in circulation.
The only mechanism that comes close to comprehensive protection is making your account private.
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What is the risk?
There are privacy and security implications here. Now anyone can create AI images based on your public Instagram profile without your knowledge, and Meta won’t notify you when this happens. Public Instagram photos have already been collected by attackers to create deepfakes for identity verification fraud. Giving people an official way to create AI images based on public profiles reduces the barrier to creating synthetic images that could be used for identity theft, fraud, or other abuse.
Cybercriminals are already combining generative AI with automated tools to scale phishing and fraud. Muse Image makes it even easier to generate compelling images based on public identities.
Meta’s AI has also presented other security issues. Earlier this year, researchers uncovered a “confused proxy” flaw in Meta’s AI support chatbot that allowed it to make account changes – including changing email addresses and resetting passwords – without adequately verifying who it was talking to. Enabling multi-factor authentication (MFA) seemed to resolve this issue.
Meta also uses an opt-out approach when training its AI on European user data. The company relies on the GDPR’s “legitimate interests” legal basis to process European users’ data for AI purposes, a position that data protection group NOYB has disputed.
Protect yourself
- If your Instagram is public, open it Settings and activity > Share and reuse and turn that off AI generation Switch now. Remember that this will only stop future image generation.
- Enable MFA for all your meta accounts. This is one of the easiest ways to protect your account if your password is compromised.
- If you want the strongest protection Meta currently offers, set your Instagram account to private. It’s a rough solution, but it prevents strangers from using your public profile as source material.
Meta’s own oversight board has already stated that the company needs stronger detection tools and better labeling of AI-generated content. When Meta’s own governing body says its defenses are not sufficient, consumers should take note.
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https://www.malwarebytes.com/blog/ai/2026/07/turn-off-this-meta-setting-before-someone-generates-ai-images-of-you
