Meta has abruptly discontinued a feature that allowed users to create AI-generated images using other people's public photos without their knowledge or consent. The feature, launched on July 7, was available in the UK via the Meta AI app and web browser, and on WhatsApp and Instagram for US users. It enabled users to @-mention public Instagram accounts in prompts to generate AI remixes of those individuals' photos.
Privacy concerns and lack of notification
The feature drew immediate criticism because users were not notified when their images were used, and they had to manually opt out to prevent their public photos from being included. Digital rights campaigners argued that this approach violated privacy and consent principles. A spokesperson for Open Rights Group told Metro: 'At the very least, such a feature should not be switched on by default but only activated when Meta users choose to opt in. Instead, people have to opt out.'
Meta admits feature 'missed the mark'
On July 10, just three days after launch, Meta removed the feature. In a statement, the company said: 'Our intent was to provide a useful creative tool and to give people control over whether their public content could be referenced in this way. We've heard the feedback that this feature missed the mark, so it's no longer available.'
Industry and advocacy backlash
SAG-AFTRA, the actors' union, highlighted the 'obvious dangers and harms inherent' in the feature. After Meta's decision, SAG-AFTRA said: 'With the dangers of nonconsensual digital replicas well known to all, a feature that encouraged that behavior is unwise. We appreciate its discontinuance. It is the responsible thing to do.'
Online safety campaigner Adele Zeynep Walton added: 'This feature raises serious questions about consent, privacy and property theft. A photograph is not just an image; it is personal data, and people should have meaningful control over how their likeness is used, processed and repurposed by AI.'
