{
  "id": 9739726,
  "title": "Meta's new motto: we care about privacy",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/25/metas-new-motto-we-care-about-privacy",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-25T09:00:05.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Axios",
    "slug": "axios",
    "url": "https://www.axios.com/2026/09/25/meta-ai-muse-privacy"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Meta is prioritizing privacy protections in its upcoming products, including the popular AI assistant Muse. This significant shift for the company, which has traditionally relied heavily on customer data, reflects an understanding that users will need reassurance that their sensitive information, such as emails, finances, and health data, will be protected. Meta's privacy policy once allowed it unrestricted access to virtually all user activities, but the company has recently shifted its AI strategy to place privacy at the forefront. In a lengthy manifesto, CEO Mark Zuckerberg pledged to provide users with a fully private mode for personal agents, where even Meta or any other service provider would have no access to data. Muse, which is expected to become one of the most popular AI products since ChatGPT, offers customers their own personal virtual machine with private processing options to prevent Meta from accessing user data. While Meta has been gradually implementing privacy measures like incognito chats and private processing in apps like WhatsApp, these features are not automatically enabled for all users. Some features, such as allowing interactions to be used for AI model training, can be turned off. However, not all privacy changes for Muse users apply to those using Meta AI through Facebook, Instagram, or other Meta apps. Despite these efforts, Meta devices with embedded microphones and cameras still raise significant privacy concerns. Electronic Privacy Information Center executive director Alan Butler warned that confidential processing does not solve the problem of pushing surveillance systems into everyday life. Meta is banking on a new business model for Muse, which will not provide the same targeted advertising data that supports most of the company's services. The platform offers $20- and $100-per-month paid tiers for heavy users, with the free tier expected to account for most usage. Meta hopes Muse will eventually generate revenue through small transaction fees. However, the trust gap stemming from Meta's extensive data collection over the years remains a challenge that will require more than just words to address.",
  "summary": "Meta is seeking to make privacy protections a centerpiece of new products including its viral assistant Muse , marking a major shift for a company built on extensive use of customer data. Why it matters: The radical turnaround is an acknowledgment that the winner of AI's new assistant race will have to reassure users that they can turn over their emails, finances, health data and other sensitive…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}