# Meta’s AI assistant may access user networks without explicit consent, privacy expert warns

Digest AI · Society & Work · published 2026-10-14T06:21:00Z

Canonical: https://digestai.news/story/metas-ai-assistant-may-access-user-networks-without-explicit-consent-p

## Summary

Meta’s new AI assistant has sparked privacy concerns over its potential to collect personal data from users’ networks, including details about friends, family, and others who never agreed to the technology. Privacy attorney Leeza Garber compared the assistant’s data collection to shadow profiles, warning that it could build detailed profiles of users and their connections without clear consent or transparency.

Garber highlighted that AI assistants often request access to accounts, messages, and financial data under the guise of convenience, but this can expose sensitive information about third parties. She cited Meta’s history of privacy controversies, including shadow profiles for non-users and past regulatory challenges, as reasons for caution. While Meta offers privacy controls, Garber urged users to scrutinize permissions closely, especially given the commercial value of personal data in advertising-driven platforms like Meta’s.

## Key points

- Meta’s AI assistant may access user networks, exposing data about friends/family without their consent, says privacy expert
- Garber warns AI assistants could build hourly-updated profiles using connected accounts like social media and finances
- Meta’s past privacy issues and shadow profiles raise concerns about transparency and user control over data

## Why it matters

This highlights growing risks of AI agents collecting unintended personal data, raising questions about consent and transparency in user-facing AI tools.

## Sources

1. [Meta’s new AI assistant sparks privacy fears over data pulled from users’ networks](https://wjla.com/news/nation-world/metas-ai-assistant-raises-privacy-concerns-over-personal-data-and-profiles-of-friends-and-family-privacy-attorney-leeza-garber-technology-artificial-intelligence-social-network-financial-accounts-cybersecurity-muse-instagram-facebook) (wjla.com, 2026-10-14)

## Cite

Digest AI, "Meta’s AI assistant may access user networks without explicit consent, privacy expert warns", 14 October 2026, https://digestai.news/story/metas-ai-assistant-may-access-user-networks-without-explicit-consent-p

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