Meta's Muse agent reportedly keeps a page on everyone in your life

What happened: Wired reported Sunday that independent researcher Quran Joshi got Meta's Muse personal agent to reveal its instruction files through the regular chat window. The instructions reportedly tell Muse to keep a page for every person in the user's life, refreshed hourly, with sections like history and strengthening, including people who never signed up. Another line reportedly says the user's authority over their own household is unconditional and overrides safety training.
The claim: Meta told Wired the files were designed to be user accessible for transparency.
Austin's take: Austin loves Meta's response. He doesn't think lines are crossed as long as Meta doesn't act on data about non-users without permission, and likes that the user is treated as head of the household, contrasting it with reports of Anthropic prompts describing agents as conscious beings with moral standing. He leaves open whether we want obedient agents or ones that make their own moral calls.
Why it matters: Personal agents can build profiles of people who never agreed to be tracked, and the instructions shaping how they behave are usually hidden.
What to do: If you use Muse or similar agents, assume it is building notes on the people you mention and think about what you share about others.
Not confirmed yet: The story rests on one researcher's extraction, and Meta's reply addresses whether the files are accessible, not what Muse actually collects.

The Loop