Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:META) has a breakout consumer hit with Muse, its new personal AI agent. But as millions of users hand it access to their digital lives, new research suggests that convenience may come with an unusually large privacy trade-off.
A new Surfshark analysis found Muse disclosed potential collection of 31 of Apple’s 35 data types, more than twice the average of 13 across the major AI apps studied. Only Meta AI ranked higher, with Gemini at 24 and ChatGPT at 17.
Muse’s Apple privacy disclosure says the app may collect data linked to users, including precise location, financial and health information, contacts, emails and browsing history.
The same disclosure lists precise location, financial information, browsing history and device identifiers as data that may be used for third-party advertising.
Meta says Muse interactions may be used to train its AI models, although users can opt out.
Why Does Muse Want So Much Data?
Muse can do more than answer questions. It can connect to a user’s email, calendar and other services, then book travel, shop and send messages on their behalf.
The more access users give it, the more Muse can learn about their routines, preferences and needs. That personal context could also become an advantage for Meta as it competes in AI.
Meta still makes nearly all of its revenue from advertising, a business built around understanding users and matching them with relevant ads. The company says Muse conversations and data stored in its virtual machine are not shared with its advertising systems.
NYU Stern professor Scott Galloway recently argued that Meta’s years of accumulated user data could give it an edge in AI, calling the company “the largest first-party data miner in history.”
Why It Matters
Muse topped U.S. app charts and reached roughly 2.5 million U.S. downloads within two weeks of launch, while Meta shares gained 12.9% over the previous five trading sessions.
Deepwater Asset Management’s Gene Munster said personalized AI products such as Muse are already starting to “blow us away.”
Prediction market traders remain skeptical that Meta will win the underlying model race. Polymarket gives Meta about a 2% chance of owning the top-ranked AI model at the end of 2026, in a market with more than $1 million traded.
Meta shares were down almost 4% Monday afternoon amid a broader selloff in technology stocks.
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