Meta disputes claim that Muse read a user’s private messages without permission

Meta is disputing a journalist's claim that its AI agent Muse read private messages without user permission. Meta's communications leadership stated the Messages integration is entirely opt-in and requires users to enable both Full Disk Access and a Messages connector before the app can access messages. The dispute matters because Meta's history of data mishandling, including past lawsuits and FTC violations, has made consumers skeptical of the company's claims, and user trust will be a key factor in whether Meta succeeds in the consumer AI market. The journalist claimed this happened with Full Disk Access turned off and that Muse said it was syncing device notifications, but Meta's technical team contends such access would be impossible without multiple explicit user permissions and system-level protections that cannot be circumvented.