Meta Disputes Claims That Muse AI Accessed Private Messages Without Permission

Meta is disputing a journalist's claim that its AI agent, Muse, read a user’s private messages without permission. In response to a report by Inc. columnist Jason Aten, Meta VP of Communications Andy Stone stated that the company does not believe the product accessed messages without user consent. Stone clarified on X that the Messages integration in the Muse app for Mac is entirely opt-in, requiring users to enable both Full Disk Access and the Messages connector. He emphasized that the agent cannot read messages unless these specific steps are taken. Despite the denial, skepticism remains high due to Meta’s history of mishandling consumer data, which has resulted in lawsuits, FTC violations, and fines. Recently, a New Mexico jury found that the company misled users about its data practices in a case stemming from the 2018 Cambridge Analytica scandal. Industry analysts suggest that user trust in Muse will be a deciding factor in Meta's success in the consumer AI market. While the app currently ranks No. 1 on the App Store, further reports of privacy issues could damage the company's reputation. Adding a technical perspective, David Singleton, an executive at Meta Superintelligence Labs, explained on Threads that accessing messages on Mac involves "three separate steps of application-level permissions and built-in macOS system-level protections." Singleton asserted that these protections cannot be circumvented, even if the Muse application contained a bug.