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PSA: Flip these two Instagram toggles now to stop people using your face

Meta this week launched its own AI image model integrated into the Instagram app. While this might sound useful, it comes with rather a big privacy issue: by default, anyone can use your profile photo and posts as prompts for generative images.

You can fix this by flipping two toggles, but they’re pretty well hidden …

Meta announced Muse Image on Tuesday.

Muse Image acts as the creative partner that knows your world, making it easy to turn your ideas into high-quality visuals that you can download and share anywhere, including directly to your feed, story, or chat […]

You can use more than 30 new AI-powered effects for Instagram Stories and generate images in your direct chats with Meta AI on WhatsApp […] Whether you’re starting from scratch or working with an existing photo, you can describe what you want in simple, conversational language, and Meta AI handles the rest

Wired spotted rather a big privacy risk with this.

As part of this update, public Instagram profiles are now automatically opted into being fodder for generative AI remixes. All someone has to do is tag your account’s profile in a prompt—if it’s public—and they can use Meta AI to generate an image using your likeness.

Yep, Meta strikes again, making this opt-out rather than opt-in. You’ll need to flip two toggles to switch it off.

Inside the Instagram app, tap your photo bottom-right then the hamburger menu icon top-right. Scroll down to Sharing and Reuse. There’s a section headed “Allow people to create with and reuse your content.” There are separate toggles for Posts and Reels, and you’ll want to flip both of them off.

These toggles are on by default …

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Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Ben Lovejoy

Ben Lovejoy is a British technology writer and EU Editor for 9to5Mac. He’s known for his op-eds and diary pieces, exploring his experience of Apple products over time, for a more rounded review. He also writes fiction, with two technothriller novels, a couple of SF shorts and a rom-com!


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