Social Media

Instagram’s New AI Can Alter Your Photos — Here’s How to Opt Out and Protect Your Privacy Instagram has quietly rolled out an AI image generator that can take your public photos and use them to create or modify new images. The feature has alarmed privacy experts, who warn it could lead to deepfakes and unauthorized use of your likeness. This article explains what the tool does, why it matters, and — most importantly — how to opt out so your photos aren’t used without your permission. ...

How Instagram’s New AI Image Generator Puts Your Privacy at Risk (And What to Do About It) Privacy experts are raising red flags about Instagram’s AI image generator. Here’s how it works, what data it collects, and how you can protect yourself. ...

How to Protect Your Privacy from Instagram’s New AI Image Generator What Happened: Instagram’s AI Image Generator and the Privacy Backlash In early July 2026, Instagram rolled out an AI image generator that can create new pictures based on your existing photos. The feature uses images you’ve uploaded—primarily public ones—to train its model and produce synthetic visuals. Within days, privacy experts raised alarms, noting that users hadn’t been clearly informed about how their data would be used. The Guardian was among the first to report the backlash, highlighting concerns over consent, data retention, and the potential for misuse. ...

Meta’s New AI Tool Uses Your Public Instagram Photos – Here’s How to Stop It Instagram users woke up this week to news that Meta has started letting people create AI-generated images using public profile photos from the platform. The feature, called Muse, was announced on July 8, 2026 and immediately drew sharp criticism from privacy advocates and everyday users alike. The core concern is simple: if your Instagram account is public, your photos can now be used to train an AI or generate new images without your explicit permission. ...

X’s New Privacy Risks: What Changed and How to Protect Your Account A coalition of privacy advocacy groups has filed a formal warning with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) about changes at X (formerly Twitter) that they say pose a “serious risk to Americans’ privacy.” The warning, reported by Ars Technica, follows a series of policy and feature updates under the platform’s current ownership. While the FTC has not yet announced an investigation, the filing puts the agency on notice—and gives millions of X users reason to review their account settings right now. ...

Social Media Scams Are Costing Americans Billions: How to Protect Yourself in 2026 Introduction If you use Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or any other social platform, you’ve probably seen ads for unbelievable deals, messages from strangers who seem too friendly, or posts promising easy money. Many of these are scams — and they’re costing Americans billions every year. ...

Social media scams are exploding: How to protect your money and identity What happened Social media scams are costing Americans billions as fraud continues to shift online. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) data shows that older Americans alone lost $2.4 billion to scams in 2024, and overall losses from social media–originated fraud run well into the billions. These aren’t isolated incidents — they represent a structural shift in how scammers operate. ...