Driver FixRecommendedSound, Wi-Fi or graphics acting up? Check drivers firstFind missing or outdated drivers fast.Check DriversHalloween DealsAmazon USHalloween week deals: useful picks before month-endAmazon US: current deals, useful picks and tech finds.Check DealsSlow PC?RecommendedPC slow today? Run a repair scan before it gets worseResolve common Windows issues and optimize system performance.Scan Now×
Skip to content
Menlo Park desk6 min

Can You Trust Meta’s Muse AI Agent With Your Personal Data? Not Yet

Meta’s Muse has access controls, but it is a cloud-hosted agent with possible operational access and optional training use. A reported Messages incident remains unexplained.
Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

Not with sensitive accounts—not yet. Meta says Muse has safeguards for connected-app access, but it is still a cloud-hosted agent that can work in the background, and Meta says it may access data when needed to operate the service. A reported incident involving an Apple Messages database raises a serious permission question, but its cause has not been established publicly. That supports caution, not a claim that Muse routinely reads users’ messages without permission.

Why Muse deserves more caution than an ordinary chatbot

Muse can connect to apps, use a browser and continue tasks in the background. It may also ask for approval before sensitive actions such as sending email or making purchases. That makes the important privacy question broader than what a chatbot remembers: it is also what connected data the agent can reach, what it can do with that data, and what happens while it works. The Associated Press described Muse as a personal AI agent, while Meta’s launch announcement says users can choose connected apps and access levels, disconnect services and ask Muse to forget learned information. Meta’s Muse announcement · Associated Press launch coverage.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Meta says each user has a dedicated cloud virtual machine (VM) that stores workspace data and connected-service credentials. Muse can use connectors to Meta and third-party services, and Meta says it can create custom connectors for services with APIs or command-line interfaces. This setup may keep one user’s workspace separate from another’s, but it does not mean the data stays only on the user’s device.

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

What Meta says protects Muse—and what those claims establish

Meta describes a layered design that includes an isolated runtime container, separation of credentials, a Sentinel that evaluates actions and network egress, browser protections and approval prompts for some actions. These are Meta’s descriptions of its architecture, not results from an independent security test. Meta also acknowledges that agents can make mistakes and that prompt injection remains an open problem. In its security post, “How We Built Safety Into Muse”, Meta states: “Muse isn’t immune to attack. Prompt injection remains an open problem in the industry — and Muse will sometimes make mistakes.”

#1 Best Overall
Ailun Privacy Screen Protector iPhone 17e/16e/14/13/13 Pro, 2 Pack | 6.1 Inch, Tempered Glass, Anti Spy Private, Case Friendly, Not for iPhone 16 6.1 Inch
  • [2 Pack] This product includes 2 pack privacy screen protectors.WORKS FOR iPhone 17e/16e/14/iPhone 13/13 Pro 6.1 Inch tempered glass screen protector.Featuring maximum protection from scratches, scrapes, and bumps.[Not for iPhone 16 6.1 inch, iPhone 13 mini 5.4 inch, iPhone 13 Pro Max/iPhone 14 Pro Max/iPhone 14 Plus 6.7 inch, iPhone 14 Pro 6.1 inch]
  • Specialty: to enhance compatibility with most cases, the Tempered glass does not cover the entire screen. HD ultra-clear rounded glass for iPhone 17e/16e/14/iPhone 13/13 Pro is 99.99% touch-screen accurate.
  • 99.99% High-definition clear hydrophobic and oleophobic screen coating protects against sweat and oil residue from fingerprints.
  • High Privacy: Keeps your personal, private, and sensitive information hidden from strangers,screen is only visible to persons directly in front of screen.Good choose when you are in the bus,elevator,metro or other public occasions.(Note: Due to this privacy cover will darken the image to prevent the peeking eyes near you, you might need to turn your device display brightness up a bit when use it.)
  • Online video installation instruction: Easiest Installation - removing dust and aligning it properly before actual installation,enjoy your screen as if it wasn't there.

Meta’s product announcement says people can change access or disconnect a service whenever they want. That flexibility matters, but a permission control is useful only if people can understand what it covers and verify what the agent accessed. The distinction is central to the reported Messages incident below.

How Meta says it handles conversations and access

Meta says Muse conversations and VM data are not shared with its ad systems. It cautions that actions Muse takes on the open web or Meta services may indirectly affect ads a user sees elsewhere.

Rank #2
SMARTDEVIL 2 Pack Privacy Screen Protector for iPhone 17 Pro Max, Anti-Spy | Military-Grade Shatterproof Protection, Tempered Glass Film , 9H Hardness, Fast & Easy Installation, Case Friendly Design
  • Perfect Fit for iPhone 17 Pro Max:Engineered exclusively for iPhone 17 Pro Max with seamless edge-to-edge coverage, ensuring precise alignment and reliable full-screen protection.
  • Advanced Privacy Protection:Features a 28° privacy filter with smooth 2.5D curved edges, preventing side glances in public. Your screen remains visible only to you—ideal for commuting, traveling, and crowded environments.
  • Effortless Installation:Equipped with an auto dust-elimination tool that delivers a fast, accurate, and bubble-free application, keeping your screen perfectly clear with minimal effort.
  • Military-Grade Protection:Made of nano-reinforced 9H tempered glass, SGS certified. Provides 5X stronger scratch resistance and proven durability, withstanding thousands of pressure and impact tests.
  • Smudge & Fingerprint Resistant:Hydrophobic and oleophobic coating repels fingerprints, sweat, and oil—ensuring your screen stays clean, clear, and smooth to the touch.

Meta also says conversations, tool calls and subagent handoffs—together called “trajectories”—may be used to train future model checkpoints after key personally identifying information is removed. Users who do not want this can opt out in Muse settings. Sanitization and an opt-out are relevant controls, but they are not the same as keeping the data entirely outside model development by default.

What’s actually slowing this PC down?

Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

Meta says its current architecture does not prevent employee access when necessary to support, secure or operate Muse. As the company puts it: “It does not prevent Meta from accessing data when necessary to support, secure or operate the service.” Meta has announced a Muse Confidential VM intended to cryptographically prevent its access to VM contents, with a goal of introducing it later in 2026. At the time Meta described it, the mode was in testing and external review; it should not be treated as a generally available protection.

Rank #3
Ailun Privacy Screen Protector for iPhone 16 / iPhone 15 / iPhone 15 Pro | 3 Pack, 6.1 inch, Tempered Glass, Anti Spy Private, Anti-Scratch, Case Friendly
  • [3 Pack] This product includes 3 pack privacy screen protectors.WORKS FOR iPhone 16/iPhone 15/iPhone 15 Pro 6.1 Inch tempered glass screen protector. Due to the rounded edge design of the iPhone 16/iPhone 15/iPhone 15 Pro and to enhance compatibility with most cases,the tempered glass screen protectors will be slightly smaller than the phone screen.[Not for iPhone 16e 6.1 inch, iPhone 15 Plus/iPhone 15 Pro Max/iPhone 16 Plus 6.7 inch,iPhone 16 Pro 6.3 inch,iPhone 16 Pro Max 6.9 inch]
  • Specialty: HD rounded glass for iPhone 16/iPhone 15/iPhone 15 Pro 6.1 Inch is 99.99% touch-screen accurate.
  • 99.99% High-definition hydrophobic and oleophobic screen coating protects against sweat and oil residue from fingerprints. Featuring maximum protection from scratches, scrapes, and bumps.
  • High Privacy: Keeps your personal, private, and sensitive information hidden from strangers,screen is only visible to persons directly in front of screen.Good choose when you are in the bus,elevator,metro or other public occasions.(Note: Due to this privacy cover will darken the image to prevent the peeking eyes near you, you might need to turn your device display brightness up a bit when use it.)
  • Online video installation instruction: Easiest Installation - removing dust and aligning it properly before actual installation,enjoy your screen as if it wasn't there.

What the reported Apple Messages incident does—and does not—show

In a first-person account for Inc, columnist Jason Aten wrote that Muse suggested article ideas based on conversations in Apple Messages, although he said he had declined access. He reported that Muse attributed the information to notification banners. Aten then said he found a local Messages database syncing to Meta’s servers, with the database reaching row 187,462. That is a database progress marker he reported, not a count of messages.

Aten also said he had not enabled Full Disk Access and found Muse’s permission prompts unclear. He reported that Meta did not immediately answer his questions; Meta Superintelligence Labs CEO David Singleton later replied publicly with a technical explanation that Aten understood as implying he had enabled settings needed for the behavior. Aten’s account is a serious reason to ask what permissions were granted and what data was actually accessed, but it does not resolve that question.

TechRadar and Tom’s Hardware covered the same account; they are not independent reproductions of the incident. Tom’s Hardware noted that how Muse obtained access remained unclear. The reviewed coverage does not establish a technical root cause or provide a complete public incident explanation from Meta. It therefore does not justify saying Muse universally bypasses permissions, or that Aten’s account has been independently verified. Nor does the account establish that the chatbot intentionally lied: as Aten noted, a language model may not know which system component supplied information.

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.
Rank #4
Ailun Privacy Screen Protector+Camera Lens Protector for iPhone 16, 3+3Pack | 6.1 Inch, Tempered Glass Film, Installation Frame, Anti Spy Private, Case Friendly
  • [3+3 Pack] This product includes 3 pack privacy screen protectors and 3 pack camera lens protectors with Installation Frame. Works For iPhone 16 [6.1 inch] tempered glass screen protector and camera lens protector. Featuring maximum protection from scratches, scrapes, and bumps. [Not for iPhone 16e 6.1 inch, iPhone 16 Pro 6.3 inch, iPhone 16 Pro Max 6.9 inch, iPhone 16 Plus 6.7 inch]
  • Night shooting function: specially designed iPhone 16 6.1 Inch camera lens protective film. The camera lens protector adopts the new technology of "seamless" integration of augmented reality, with light transmittance and night shooting function, without the need to design the flash hole position, when the flash is turned on at night, the original quality of photos and videos can be restored.
  • High Privacy: Keeps your personal, private, and sensitive information hidden from strangers, screen is only visible to persons directly in front of screen. Good choose when you are in the bus,elevator,metro or other public occasions. (Note: Due to this privacy cover will darken the image to prevent the peeking eyes near you, you might need to turn your device display brightness up a bit when use it.)
  • Easiest Installation - Please watch our installation video tutorial before installation. Removing dust and aligning it properly with the help of the included installation frame before actual installation, enjoy your screen as if it wasn't there.
  • 99.99% High-definition clear hydrophobic and oleophobic screen coating protects against sweat and oil residue from fingerprints, and enhance the visibility of the screen.

What privacy comparisons can and cannot tell you

TechRadar reported that Surfshark counted 31 of 35 data types for Muse and 33 of 35 for Meta AI, based on Apple App Store privacy disclosures for 13 AI chatbots. Those are counts of declared data categories, not measurements of how much data a service actually collects, and not a technical audit of Muse. The figures are useful as a prompt to inspect disclosures, but they cannot establish how secure Muse is or whether its permissions behave as intended. TechRadar’s report on Surfshark’s comparison.

Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Support on Ko-Fi

How to decide whether to try Muse

If you want to test Muse, treat it as an agent with access to connected accounts—not as a private note-taking chatbot. Begin with minimal permissions and add access only when a task requires it.

Best Value
Sale
UltraGlass TOP 9H+ Armor for iPhone 17 Pro Max Privacy Screen Protector 6.9 | NO.1 Military Grade Shatterproof, Privacy Screen 17 Pro Max Tempered Glass 17 ProMax, 100% Anti-Spy, Longest Durable, 2 Packs
  • [Industry-Leading 100% Anti-Spy Privacy Protection] Designed for iPhone 17 Pro Max. Larger iPhone screens are easier for others to glance at, so UltraGlass uses patented, SEGI-certified 25° Blackout-3 optical technology to help block side views and keep emails, banking apps, and private content visible only to you—while keeping the front view HD-clear and comfortable through hours of scrolling and streaming.
  • [Unbreakable TOP 9H+ Glass, the Excellent 2nd Screen for Your iPhone] Boasting unparalleled shatter resistance and durability. And the core excellence is the top 9H+ tempered glass material, which is widely applied in aerospace and military fields for its ① Shatter-proof ② Scratch & Wear Resistance ③ Durability that is 7-8 times higher than other materials. Thus, UltraGlass builds a second tough screen for your iPhone 17 Pro Max.
  • [Industry NO.1 Military-Grade Shatterproof] Authorized by the International Military Standard with 50+ rigorous engineering tests of 220 lbs impact, 8,000+ drop tests, 25,000+ scratch tests, etc., its strength, toughness and durability perform NO.1 among all glass. By especially breaking the industry's record with a 12ft drop, the iPhone 17 Pro Max screen protector is ensured to be unbreakable from its surface to every edge and corner.
  • [Invisible Armor, 1:1 Full Covers the iPhone's Screen] Mimicking the iPhone's original screen design, it uses a 1:1 3D curved reinforced black edge that wraps around every curve — case friendly — while securing even the most vulnerable edges. Seamlessly blending with the iPhone 17 ProMax screen, it's virtually invisible and feels like the original screen while offering enhanced full-screen protection.
  • [0 Bubbles + 0 Dust + 0 Misaligned =100% Successful Installation] Includes everything you need with pioneering automatic positioning, dust removal, and absorption technology, making the installation just effortlessly easy in seconds. No bubbles, no troubles—transforming beginners into experts!
  1. Leave high-consequence accounts disconnected at first. Keep sensitive email, messages, financial accounts and work files out of Muse until you understand its controls and are comfortable with the remaining uncertainty.
  2. Review app access and background-work settings. Connect only the services needed for a task, understand what each permission enables, and disconnect services you no longer need.
  3. Check the training opt-out. Meta says trajectories may be used to train future models after key identifying information is removed unless users opt out in Muse settings. If you do not want that use, find and set the opt-out rather than assuming it is automatic.
  4. Inspect activity and approvals. Review the available activity history and approval prompts so you can see what Muse attempted and what it asked to do. Do not treat an approval prompt as proof that all data access is visible there.
  5. Wait for a clear incident explanation before granting sensitive access. For high-consequence data, look for a public account of how the Messages behavior occurred and independent verification of the relevant permission boundaries.

These are precautionary steps, not a guarantee of safety. A VPN would not prevent an agent from accessing data already available to it or protect information held in its cloud VM, so it is not a remedy for the concerns described here.

What to compare before trusting any AI agent

No like-for-like evidence here establishes a safer competitor. For any agent that connects to personal services, compare the practical controls rather than relying on a broad privacy label:

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.
  • How narrowly can you grant permissions, and can you tell what each one permits?
  • Can the agent work in the background, and can you disable that behavior?
  • What information is stored, for how long, and can you inspect or delete it?
  • Can conversations or action histories be used for training, and is opting out clear?
  • Which actions require approval, and can you review an audit trail afterward?
  • Can the provider access hosted data to support, secure or operate the service?

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

More from the Wire

  1. World desk4 min
    How to Spot an AI Voice Scam Before Sending MoneyDon’t rely on how a caller sounds. Pause, call back through a known number, and verify the emergency with another trusted person before sending money.
  2. Mountain View desk4 min
    Google’s SynthID Detector: How to Check AI-Generated Images, Video and AudioGoogle’s SynthID Detector looks for an embedded watermark in supported images, video and audio. Here is what its results do—and do not—show.
  3. Redmond desk20 min
    How to create a link to File or Folder in Windows 11Windows 11 gives you several ways to point to a file or folder without moving or duplicating it. You can create a desktop shortcut,…
Recommended PC Tool
Recommended PC Tool
Outdated Drivers Are Slowing You DownFree scan - exact matches
Windows Errors? Fix Them Before They SpreadFree repair scan

Two free Windows tools

One Free Minute Could Fix That PC

Before you go - each of these free tools takes about a minute and tackles what quietly slows a Windows PC down.

Special offer. View Outbyte info, uninstall instructions, EULA, and Privacy Policy.