Meta is pushing back against allegations that its AI assistant, Muse, accessed a user’s private iMessages without explicit consent. The controversy stems from a report by Inc. columnist Jason Aten, who claimed the AI agent reviewed his private correspondence without authorization.
Andy Stone, Meta’s Vice President of Communications, responded on X, stating that the Messages integration within the Muse application for Mac is strictly opt-in. “You have to enable both Full Disk Access and the Messages connector for Muse to be able to read your Messages content. It can’t read your Messages unless you do this,” Stone wrote.
Despite Meta’s assertions, public skepticism remains high. The tech giant has faced numerous privacy-related lawsuits, Federal Trade Commission violations, and substantial fines in recent years. Just days prior to this dispute, a New Mexico jury ruled that Meta had misled consumers regarding its data practices in connection with the 2018 Cambridge Analytica scandal.
Demand for trust is critical as Meta competes in the consumer AI market. Although Muse currently holds the top spot on the App Store, outperforming early mobile launches of competitors, further privacy incidents could damage its reputation. Analysts suggest that rather than issuing blanket denials, Meta should engage directly with the journalist to investigate how the alleged breach occurred.
David Singleton, an executive at Meta Superintelligence Labs, provided a technical rebuttal on Threads, detailing the multi-layered security measures in place. He explained that granting Muse access requires three distinct steps involving both application-level permissions and macOS system protections. These include explicitly enabling Full Disk Access, selecting specific access levels for the Messages app, and manually confirming the action through the macOS Settings interface, which triggers a full app restart.
Singleton asserted that these safeguards cannot be bypassed, even if a software bug were present. He described Aten’s account as factually incorrect and attributed the AI’s comment about syncing “device notifications” to a misunderstanding by the model.
This is not the first reported issue involving Muse. YouTuber Matt Robb recently alleged that the AI mishandled a Facebook Marketplace transaction, resulting in his home address being disclosed and a buyer arriving unexpectedly. Singleton confirmed that Meta is investigating the Robb incident, indicating a potential acknowledgment of fault in that specific case.
I just love how every tech company now insists ‘you didn’t press the right button.’ It’s hilarious and terrifying.
The Marketplace address leak is worrying enough on its own. How can we believe the messages story without proof?
Wait, did the AI actually explain why it mentioned syncing notifications then? That technical rebuttal feels shaky.
It’s wild that they’re relying on opt-in defenses when their track record speaks for itself. Classic deflection.
Three separate permission steps? Yeah, right. After Cambridge Analytica, my trust is already at zero.