Govt to examine Meta's Muse AI tool that lets users generate images from Instagram profiles: IT Secretary

The government will examine whether Meta's newly launched AI image generation tool, Muse Image, complies with India's legal framework, amid growing concerns over privacy, consent and the potential misuse of people's Instagram photos to create AI-generated images.


"We will have to look at it with reference to the legal framework, and whether it is in accordance with the legal framework or not. We will examine the representations we receive," Electronics and Information Technology Secretary S Krishnan said on Thursday on the sidelines of the CII GCC Business Summit.


Also Read: Meta's new Muse AI image generator sparks privacy, image-scraping concerns

Krishnan's remarks come just days after Meta launched Muse Image, its most advanced AI image generation and editing model and the first media generation model developed by its Superintelligence Labs.

Integrated into Meta AI across apps such as Instagram and WhatsApp, the feature allows users to generate and edit images using text prompts, sketches and even Instagram usernames. But one capability has sparked particular backlash that lets users generate AI images using photos from public Instagram profiles simply by mentioning the account's username in the prompt.

The rollout has triggered concerns among users and privacy experts, who argue that people may unknowingly become training material—or worse, subjects of AI-generated images—without ever giving explicit consent.
The criticism stems from the fact that the feature is enabled by default for public Instagram accounts. Users are included automatically unless they manually opt out.

"This is a big change because it changes what having a public Instagram account means," said Prachir Singh, senior analyst at Counterpoint Research.

"It used to simply mean more people could see someone's posts. Now, it also means strangers can use that person's face to create new images they never agreed to—a risk that's especially significant for influencers and creators who rely on public accounts for their work, but also for everyday users since Meta has said it won't notify people when this happens to them," he said.

Singh also warned that making AI-generated images this accessible could normalise everyday deepfakes, making it harder for people to distinguish between real and AI-generated visuals. He added that businesses using such images in advertisements could also face legal risks if they unknowingly publish someone's likeness without permission.

Prabhu Ram, Vice President, Industry Research Group at CyberMedia Research (CMR), said the feature fundamentally changes what it means to have a public profile on Instagram.

"Until now, a public profile largely meant visibility and discoverability. With this, it can also become source material for AI-generated content built on a person's likeness," he said.

According to Ram, the opt-out-by-default approach raises questions around informed consent because most users tend to stick with default settings rather than actively reviewing privacy controls.

"The risks are especially high for creators and influencers, whose face and identity are part of their commercial value. If that likeness can be freely remixed, it raises the risks of impersonation, fake endorsements, reputational harm and brand dilution," he said.

Meta, however, says users remain in control of how their content is used.

Also Read: Meta expands generative AI tools with Muse Image rollout

The company has updated Instagram's settings to clarify that if users allow others to reuse their public content for features such as Remix, it also allows people to create AI-generated content using that material through Meta's AI products. Users can disable the feature at any time by turning off the reuse setting.

Meta describes Muse Image as its most advanced image generation model yet, saying it can faithfully follow prompts, edit images with precision, combine multiple references and draw on Instagram for "social context".

The company has also introduced Content Seal, an invisible watermark that remains embedded in AI-generated images even after they are cropped, compressed, resized or screenshotted. Meta says it is also testing a detection tool that allows users to verify whether an image was created using Meta AI.

The launch adds to the growing debate around how generative AI tools should balance innovation with user privacy and consent. While Meta says the feature includes safeguards and gives users control over their content, the government's review could determine whether those protections are sufficient under India's existing legal framework.

(With inputs from PTI)