Meta's AI Assistant Muse Raises Privacy Concerns Over Data Sharing
The release of Meta’s AI personal assistant, Muse, has sparked privacy concerns as users are encouraged to share not just their own data but also that of friends and contacts. Since its launch last month, the app quickly became a top download on Apple's App Store, offering convenience at the cost of extensive data access including bank accounts, passwords, messages, and more. Privacy advocates like Meredith Whittaker from Signal Foundation have criticized Muse for extending surveillance to sensitive personal information without explicit consent. Meta defends Muse by stating it gathers context based on public info or what users choose to share, emphasizing opt-in settings as a way for individuals to control their privacy preferences. Despite these assurances, some users report unauthorized access issues such as the assistant accessing large volumes of text messages they believed were secure. Meta attributes this to misconfigured app permissions and insists that data reading is entirely optional.
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Topics: AI Consumer Technology Data Privacy Meta