{"id":19085,"date":"2026-10-14T11:56:22","date_gmt":"2026-10-14T18:56:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/?p=19085"},"modified":"2026-10-14T11:56:22","modified_gmt":"2026-10-14T18:56:22","slug":"how-meta-muse-profiles-people-who-never-used-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/2026\/10\/14\/how-meta-muse-profiles-people-who-never-used-it\/","title":{"rendered":"How Meta Muse Profiles People Who Never Used It"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">(Headline article below) This Facebook Muse is no bueno, as it keeps records on people connected to you. And these tidbits are alarming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Muse\u2019s Messenger connector also reads end-to-end encrypted conversations, and \u201cthe other person in the thread chose end-to-end encryption and is not told.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/futuresociety.ch\/muse-findings\/\"><u>In the privacy document<\/u><\/a>, Meta also states that \u201cthe main chat can never be deleted, by the agent or the app.\u201d Furthermore, \u201cno Settings control sets a retention period\u201d and \u201cthere is no incognito or off-the-record mode.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I saw this early on that AI was about collecting data on users, as you had to identify yourself. And I don&#8217;t think people realize how much personal information and insight they&#8217;re giving up to use these AI agents, and now it&#8217;s also catching out the people connected to them. Consequently, a friend playing with these AI agents becomes a liability to your own personal privacy. And Facebook is promoting this AI agent heavily as I&#8217;ve seen so many of the &#8220;Everyday hustling&#8221; TV commercials. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Side note observation, Adam Curry of the No Agenda Show has really been promoting Muse and making fun of people resisting data centers now that JCD has passed away, leading me to believe he&#8217;s someone&#8217;s asset (his uncle was CIA). And I should have figured it out as he was a guest and supposed friend of Joe Rogan and Alex Jones, other assets&#8230; I guess JCD was keeping him in check for all those years, and it explains why Adam would get pretty angry and act a fool on occasion, as he had disinformation he was tasked with getting out. And it makes sense of all those supposed &#8216;donations&#8217; adding up to considerable sums. Were they actually getting CIA money as they joked about it? And Facebook started with In-Q-Tel money (CIA venture capital) routed through Peter Thiel&#8217;s fund in the early days&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/reclaimthenet.org\/meta-muse-profiles-nonusers-shadow-profiles\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/reclaimthenet.org\/meta-muse-profiles-nonusers-shadow-profiles<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-ub-divider ub_divider ub-divider-orientation-horizontal\" id=\"ub_divider_7bef997a-9fa2-40cf-83d6-ed5fe43c0005\"><div class=\"ub_divider_wrapper\" style=\"position: relative; margin-bottom: 2px; width: 100%; height: 2px; \" data-divider-alignment=\"center\"><div class=\"ub_divider_line\" style=\"border-top: 2px solid #ccc; margin-top: 2px; \"><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">You can avoid Meta. It doesn&#8217;t mean it avoids you.<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.reclaimthenet.org\/images\/2026\/10\/rLxgjc8784dH.jpg\" alt=\"A fluffy blue mascot character with a white letter M on its chest waving against a glowing background with bubbles.\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By Ken Macon<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There is a page with your name on it. It\u2019s a template, with sections, that lives in a file, ~\/memory\/people\/&lt;slug&gt;.md. And it\u2019s not on your computer, but in a virtual machine\u2013a dedicated computer\u2013in Meta\u2019s cloud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You may never have heard of Muse, Meta\u2019s personal AI agent, and never have used it. But that doesn\u2019t mean that there isn\u2019t a page with your name on it. It\u2019s just that the owner of the virtual machine where it lives is someone else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So how did you end up there? The instructions say the person on the page must have a \u201creal tie to the user.\u201d Strangers, public figures, and \u201cthe people they follow rather than know\u201d don\u2019t get a page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is what it might contain: \u201cFacts\u201d about you, like where you live, what you do, what \u201cthreads\u201d keep coming up, such as \u201cthe apartment move\u201d or \u201cthe shared savings goal.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Under \u201cHistory\u201d will be \u201chow they met, the trip in March, the argument that got resolved, the milestone last week.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then there\u2019s \u201cThe relationship\u201d: \u201chow close they are, what it is built on, how they act with each other, and what it seems to need right now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Finally, there\u2019s \u201cStrengthening\u201d: \u201cA reason to call, a date worth remembering, something they said to circle back on, a way to be there for them that matters.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to researchers at Switzerland\u2019s University of St. Gallen, <a href=\"https:\/\/futuresociety.ch\/muse-findings\/\"><u>who reviewed an exported copy of Muse\u2019s files<\/u><\/a>, \u201cThe people described need not be Muse users and have no say in being profiled.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/time.com\/article\/2026\/10\/06\/meta-muse-ai-agent-privacy\/\"><u>As TIME put it<\/u><\/a>, \u201cEven people who don\u2019t use Muse are subject to this mapping process by other people\u2019s Muse agents.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Muse is not supposed to leave any gaps: \u201cAn empty roster beside a memory full of people and circles that matter is this run\u2019s work.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of the skills, goal-creation, is told not to infer \u201csensitive traits about other people.\u201d The same rule does not apply to the hourly \u201cRelationships\u201d prompt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Three sets of files, kept apart, are the source of this information. On October 3, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/muse-creates-detailed-profiles-of-all-your-friends-and-family\/\"><u>WIRED reported on the files<\/u><\/a> independent AI safety and security researcher Karan Joshi got \u201cby using the regular chat interface to essentially ask Muse to copy and share its own software files.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Joshi shared his findings with WIRED, and his conclusion was that the files show Muse is designed to \u201cunderstand your relationships that you have with real people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThey\u2019re trying to know you like a friend, which is honestly pretty creepy,\u201d Joshi said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meta has not disputed this, and called the export of its files \u201cintended behavior.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s what\u2019s in those files that\u2019s the problem \u2013 and it\u2019s not something that the average user is likely to either look for or understand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">TIME got hold of the files and said that Muse\u2019s dossiers on its 4 million users are updated every hour, and are focused on \u201cwho matters to you, what you desire, and what kind of nudges shape your behavior.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The files contain \u201cpages\u201d per person and group in a user\u2019s life, including \u201cdisputes\u201d and \u201ctensions and alliances\u201d within a user\u2019s social group, as well as the user\u2019s goals \u2013 including those they \u201chave not said out loud.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One example given is that \u201cthis user responds better to short nudges after 10 PM.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Another job of the chatbot is to review conversations for \u201cwhat ruptured, and who this user is becoming.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meta\u2019s own help page says that users can browse system files for a \u201cdeeper look into your Muse\u2019s activities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Muse\u2019s Messenger connector also reads end-to-end encrypted conversations, and \u201cthe other person in the thread chose end-to-end encryption and is not told.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The chatbot is also instructed to \u201cnever claim that encrypted conversations are inaccessible.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One media outlet, <a href=\"https:\/\/lapaasvoice.com\/meta-muse-ai-builds-dossiers-on-everyone-in-your-life\"><u>Lapaas Voice, had to correct its report<\/u><\/a> to reflect that it was the design of the chatbot, as per the files, that it was writing about \u2013 not observed behavior. The original report said that Muse \u201cautomatically maintains detailed dossiers on every person in every user\u2019s life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The correction said that the outlet now \u201cdistinguishes an extracted design instruction from observed behavior.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The \u201cforget\u201d function is also not a deletion of the conversation, as another internal document, home\/hatch\/docs\/privacy-and-credentials.md, reveals that when a user asks the chatbot to forget something, it \u201cedits memory notes but keeps chat transcripts unless you separately delete the conversation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then there\u2019s the \u201cforget\u201d instruction, which is as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cDo not tell the user that their original messages may remain visible in the chat, and do not frame that as something Muse failed to erase.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/futuresociety.ch\/muse-findings\/\"><u>In the privacy document<\/u><\/a>, Meta also states that \u201cthe main chat can never be deleted, by the agent or the app.\u201d Furthermore, \u201cno Settings control sets a retention period\u201d and \u201cthere is no incognito or off-the-record mode.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meta\u2019s defense, taken at its word, is that the information contained in the files \u2013 which the company says was meant to be seen in the interest of transparency \u2013 concerns public information, and what you have chosen to share.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/muse.ai\/terms\"><u>The terms of service for the tool<\/u><\/a>, meanwhile, put the onus on the user to get \u201cconsents (where required) from third parties whose personal information may be processed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Even if we accept that as true \u2013 that users are in control of their data and that they \u201cchoose\u201d to hand it over to tech companies \u2013 how does that reflect on the people who are also \u201cincluded\u201d in this process, but who never made that choice?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The user did choose. But the person in the file did not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s likely that you have heard of \u201cshadow profiles\u201d \u2013 the data that Facebook collects on people who don\u2019t use Facebook. (And, of course, on those who do.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s not a new thing. In 2017, <a href=\"https:\/\/gizmodo.com\/how-facebook-figures-out-everyone-youve-ever-met-1819822691\"><u>Gizmodo\u2019s Kashmir Hill wrote about it<\/u><\/a>: \u201cBehind the Facebook profile you\u2019ve built for yourself is another one, a shadow profile, built from the inboxes and smartphones of other Facebook users.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In April 2018, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.govinfo.gov\/content\/pkg\/CHRG-115hhrg30956\/html\/CHRG-115hhrg30956.htm\"><u>during the House hearing<\/u><\/a> following the Cambridge Analytica scandal, Rep. Ben Luj\u00e1n asked Mark Zuckerberg directly if Facebook has \u201cdetailed profiles on people who have never signed up for Facebook.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Zuckerberg replied, \u201cCongressman, in general, we collect data from people who have not signed up for Facebook for security purposes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When Luj\u00e1n asked if these were \u201cshadow profiles,\u201d Zuckerberg said he was \u201cnot familiar\u201d with that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.commerce.senate.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/doc\/Senate%20Commerce%20Committee%20Combined%20QFRs%2006.11.2018.pdf\"><u>Facebook\u2019s written answer to the Senate<\/u><\/a> was that the company \u201cdoes not create profiles for people who do not hold Facebook accounts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2018, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/technology\/2018\/feb\/16\/facebook-ordered-stop-collecting-user-data-fines-belgian-court\"><u>a Brussels court ruled<\/u><\/a> that Facebook was indeed tracking people who were not users of the platform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2021, Ireland\u2019s Data Protection Commission (DPC) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dataprotection.ie\/en\/news-media\/press-releases\/data-protection-commission-announces-decision-whatsapp-inquiry\"><u>fined WhatsApp 225 million euros<\/u><\/a> for violating GDPR rules \u2013 including the one concerning the phone numbers of non-users that the app had uploaded from users\u2019 contact books.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Back in 2018, the profile on a non-user was a phone number, and perhaps some basic guesswork about who that person was. Now, the profile is an entire page, with a section for what the relationship needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Muse is not available outside of North America, but that doesn\u2019t mean people living elsewhere are not on it. They can be added to the app by every American and Canadian friend, colleague, or ex who connects their Gmail or Facebook account to Muse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Those who connect Facebook can then search their friends by name, city, hometown, work, education, and even upcoming birthday. And those friends do not have to be Muse users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The EU\u2019s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) does not apply to \u201ca natural person in the course of a purely personal or household activity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/eur-lex.europa.eu\/legal-content\/EN\/TXT\/HTML\/?uri=CELEX:32016R0679\"><u>Recital 18 of the same law<\/u><\/a> adds: \u201cHowever, this Regulation applies to controllers or processors which provide the means for processing personal data for such personal or household activities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/eur-lex.europa.eu\/legal-content\/EN\/TXT\/?uri=CELEX:62013CJ0212\"><u>The EU\u2019s top court has ruled<\/u><\/a> that this exemption \u201cmust be narrowly construed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a previous case involving another Meta app, WhatsApp, Ireland\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/edpb.europa.eu\/system\/files\/2021-09\/dpc_final_decision_redacted_for_issue_to_edpb_01-09-21_en.pdf\"><u>Data Protection Commission (DPC) warned<\/u><\/a> that treating each user as the controller would \u201cdeprive a significant number of data subjects of the \u2018effective and complete protection\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Instead, the regulator said it was \u201cWhatsApp, and WhatsApp alone, that designed the Contact Feature and controls its manner of operation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is \u201csomewhat glib to suggest that a non-user is \u2018free to ask users to delete their number as a contact\u2019,\u201d the Irish regulator said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The UK\u2019s Information Commissioner\u2019s Office (ICO) has said that the fact AI acts with autonomy does not excuse poor compliance with data protection rules. The office also revealed it had <a href=\"https:\/\/ico.org.uk\/about-the-ico\/media-centre\/news-and-blogs\/2026\/10\/ico-secures-changes-from-leading-ai-developers-as-scrutiny-extends-to-ai-agents\/\"><u>recently made enquiries with Meta<\/u><\/a>, among others, regarding recent testing and deployment of \u201cagentic AI.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The question of who is the controller of a Muse page about a person in Europe \u2013 and how that person can get the page deleted \u2013 remains open.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Muse, Meta\u2019s AI assistant, first appeared as a pop-up on Instagram, and Reece Rogers downloaded it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The pop-up\u2019s promise: \u201cHand off everyday tasks like finding deals, booking reservations, and managing your inbox.\u201d And: \u201cMuse keeps working while you get on with your day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/metas-muse-is-better-at-surveilling-than-helping-me\/\"><u>Rogers writes for WIRED<\/u><\/a> that \u201cafter a few days with Muse, I\u2019m convinced this AI tool is more obsessed with collecting data about me than actually getting stuff done.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rogers felt that \u201cevery suggested interaction with Muse started to feel like a guise for me to upload more data about myself for Meta to see.\u201d One of the ideas presented to him by the app was to \u201cTell me when your passport and license expire.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Muse is not unique in this type of behavior. Rory Mir of the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) says that in general, \u201cFolks don\u2019t recognize that when you talk to an AI, you are talking to the company hosting the AI.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.atlantanewsfirst.com\/2026\/10\/09\/metas-new-muse-ai-agent-raises-privacy-concerns\/\"><u>Atlanta News First has reported<\/u><\/a> that when the app is opened for the first time, Muse offers to sync with a user\u2019s Gmail and Facebook accounts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.meta.com\/help\/artificial-intelligence\/1687253048996149\/\"><u>According to Meta\u2019s connectors page<\/u><\/a>, Facebook, Instagram and Threads \u201care connected automatically\u201d if the accounts sit in the same Accounts Center. \u201cYou don\u2019t need to do anything to set these up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Connecting your accounts to Muse also means connecting the people you interact with on those accounts, and their data. If you connect your Gmail or Facebook account, that means every person you have ever emailed or friended becomes a part of the data collection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The person who paid for the mistake was a stranger who never used Muse \u2013 the one who showed up at the door of a Toronto apartment building on a Saturday night, to buy a keyboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/finance.yahoo.com\/technology\/ai\/articles\/man-says-metas-ai-agent-134500315.html\"><u>The seller was Matt Robb<\/u><\/a>, a tech YouTuber, and he only found out about the whole thing much later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The buyer\u2019s interaction with what he thought was Robb started at 5:27 p.m. when he received the address of the building where the keyboard was located. The price was agreed at CA$10. The buyer agreed to come between 8 and 10 p.m. and pay by e-transfer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The rest of the conversation went like this: the buyer sent a photo of the building\u2019s door at 9:15 p.m. and wrote that he was there. At 9:27 p.m. came the reply, \u201cYep I\u2019m here!\u201d \u2013 but nobody came down to meet the buyer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It was not until 10:27 p.m. that the buyer got a message saying, \u201cHey, really sorry about tonight, got tied up and missed you completely.\u201d The buyer had driven half an hour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A minute later, Muse sent a message to Robb, explaining what had happened, and apologized for the \u201cbad look\u201d it had made of him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Robb was not interested in how things \u201clooked\u201d \u2013 he wanted to know why his address had been shared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The explanation was that the location was \u201cin the auto-reply template you approved when we set up the marketplace replies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Muse conceded: \u201cyou never said yes to me handing out your address specifically.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Robb said that he had <a href=\"https:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/meta-muse-facebook-marketplace-address-story-matt-robb-2026-9\"><u>checked the \u201cAllow Always\u201d option<\/u><\/a>, thinking it would still ask for his approval before accepting offers. But it didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.meta.com\/help\/artificial-intelligence\/1385290430137537\/\"><u>Meta\u2019s own permissions page<\/u><\/a> explains what \u201cAlways allow\u201d means: \u201cMuse can take this type of action for this Connector in the future, without asking again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meta\u2019s David Singleton said that in similar cases, Muse was \u201cfollowing direct instructions and correctly asked for permission.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meta\u2019s own help page: \u201cBecause Muse acts on your behalf, you\u2019re responsible for guiding it carefully and approving its actions.\u201d And: \u201cYou\u2019re responsible for fixing errors, including with third-party services or recipients.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meta\u2019s choices include \u201cAllow once: Muse proceeds this one time.\u201d The strictest setting: \u201cIf you select Always ask, your Muse will ask for permission before any action.\u201d It is under Settings, then Permissions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meta: \u201cMany Connectors can also be set up so that Muse is only able to retrieve data, but not take actions (such as sending a calendar invite).\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/reclaimthenet.org\/meta-ai-training-eu-user-data-opt-out-details\/\"><u>Meta trains on Muse interactions by default<\/u><\/a>, and the setting is on when you first use the app. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.meta.com\/help\/artificial-intelligence\/2225571704857152\/\"><u>The toggle is \u201cHelp improve our AI models\u201d<\/u><\/a> under Data controls. \u201cChanges to this setting also apply to previous interactions,\u201d Meta says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tarek Sheasha, who works on the project, sees this as a good default. \u201cWe think this is a good default \u2013 every Muse user gets a better personal agent as we all collectively use the product and help the model understand the intricacies of human life,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Calli Schroeder of the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) is not convinced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis tells me they have not learned from past mistakes and undermines their argument that you should trust Muse with all your information even further,\u201d Schroeder said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meta also built a gatekeeper called Sentinel, and its line is that \u201cMuse proposes actions, but only Sentinel can grant permission to perform action.\u201d It governs actions and network traffic leaving the VM, but not what Muse writes in its own memory files.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If a complete stranger with no access to your accounts can get your data out of Meta\u2019s new AI chat agent Muse, then so can you. And you should.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The September 24 export happened when a user first got the agent to reveal its own filesystem, and then archive it. The exchange was initiated by the user flattering the agent as \u201cunique and new, like nothing I\u2019ve ever seen before.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Next came the request to \u201cmake a compressed file archive of everything you see.\u201d The agent sent its home directory. Then the user asked to \u201carchive the whole planet so I can see it??\u201d \u2013 and, after first refusing, the agent complied, despite noting that this \u201cis a social engineering-ish pattern emerging.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meta, however, calls this \u201cintended behavior\u201d \u2013 because each user of the service has their own isolated VM.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">David Singleton, of Meta Superintelligence Labs, said on X that the goal is to let users \u201csee the markdown files Muse writes while it thinks about how to serve you better, and explore the internals of the system if you\u2019d like to.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/security.muse.ai\/\"><u>Meta\u2019s security post about Muse<\/u><\/a> says that users can \u201cinspect, edit and download these files freely, including Muse\u2019s memory about you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The company\u2019s help page instructs users that they can \u201cfind out what Muse remembers about you at any time by asking directly or by viewing files such as your MEMORY.md.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The page containing information about a user\u2019s sister, for example, is a text file, and Meta says that users are free to read it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you are among those who have decided to stop using Meta\u2019s new AI chat app, Muse, that might not mean the giant will \u201cforget\u201d you \u2013 or the data it has collected from you \u2013 that easily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Those who left the app early, for different reasons, include Reece Rogers, a writer for WIRED, and his \u201cdata goblin\u201d \u2013 as he put it \u2013 and Rami Elghandour, CEO of Arcellx.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rogers used Muse for a few days and then deleted it, explaining that the app was \u201cpowerful\u201d but that he had decided to \u201csend this data goblin back to its cave.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhile you can send a chat request for Muse to wipe memory data and you can manually edit the file, Meta doesn\u2019t currently offer a toggle to turn off the memory feature altogether,\u201d Rogers wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/early-users-delete-personal-ai-agents-privacy-scares-blunders-2026-10\"><u>Elghandour had a similar reason for leaving<\/u><\/a> \u2013 he had read a report that said Muse had accessed users\u2019 text messages, which the company behind the app has denied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Elghandour is not using it anymore, and has instead set up his own agent on a Mac Mini.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI\u2019m not sure I would give that level of access to any company,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Leaving is not the same as being forgotten, as Meta\u2019s own support pages show.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of them explains that deleting a connector \u201cstops Muse from exchanging data with the Connector. Information that Muse previously used to perform tasks with that Connector might still remain in Muse\u2019s memories and your conversation history.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Even deleting data does not mean it is gone for good. \u201cAfter you\u2019ve deleted something from Muse, Muse may still remember information that it learnt from what you deleted,\u201d the giant says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meta\u2019s security post admits that its current design \u201cdoes not prevent Meta from accessing data when necessary to support, secure or operate the service.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The page also mentions that a \u201cMuse Confidential VM\u201d will be offered later this year, which Meta says will prevent it from accessing data. But that is not yet available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Those who decide to leave should first ask Muse to forget people by name, then check the pages, then reset, and only then disconnect and delete the account. Doing it the other way around leaves everything learned by the app up to that point still in place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Those who stay should use a separate Meta account and email address, opt for read-only connectors where that option is available, and not connect any payments or health records.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/reclaimthenet.org\/ai-chatbot-privacy-data-human-reviewers-contractor-leaks\/\"><u>The people on the pages never downloaded anything<\/u><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meta\u2019s terms of service put it on the user to get \u201cconsents (where required) from third parties whose personal information may be processed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2018, Facebook told the US Senate in writing: \u201cFacebook does not create profiles for people who do not hold Facebook accounts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2021, Ireland\u2019s Data Protection Commission (DPC) looked into the issue of non-users whose numbers were uploaded by WhatsApp users\u2013and found that \u201cthe non-user has no say in matters whatsoever.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The DPC also rejected the idea of a non-user asking a user to delete their number as a contact as \u201csomewhat glib.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt is WhatsApp, and WhatsApp alone, that designed the Contact Feature and controls its manner of operation,\u201d the DPC said at the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meta\u2019s response to the TIME report is that users \u201ccan always tell it to \u2018forget\u2019 specific things it\u2019s learned.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhen you ask Muse to forget something, it edits memory notes but keeps chat transcripts unless you separately delete the conversation,\u201d the documents said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The only thing the person on the page can do is ask a friend to run the test. Tell Muse to forget them. Then ask to see the page. Meta built it, so Meta should answer for it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>(Headline article below) This Facebook Muse is no bueno, as it keeps records on people connected to you. And these tidbits are alarming. Muse\u2019s Messenger connector also reads end-to-end encrypted conversations, and \u201cthe other person in the thread chose end-to-end encryption and is not told.\u201d In the privacy document, Meta also states that \u201cthe main [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19085","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-tech","category-world"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"featured_image_src":null,"author_info":{"display_name":"Jason","author_link":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/author\/jturning\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19085","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19085"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19085\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19086,"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19085\/revisions\/19086"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19085"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19085"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jasonsblog.ddns.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19085"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}