WASHINGTON, DC (July 13, 2026) – The National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) said that Meta’s decision to remove a feature that enabled anyone to use public Instagram photos to create AI-generated images is a win for the public but warned that the company should never have approved this feature at all.
“This is a victory for the public and survivors of image-based sexual abuse over Big Tech. We welcome Meta’s decision to reverse its AI feature that allowed users to generate AI-altered images from public Instagram photos after hearing calls from our organization and many others,” said Haley McNamara, Executive Director and Chief Strategy Officer, National Center on Sexual Exploitation.
“But the bigger question remains: Why was this ever approved in the first place? The feature’s foreseeable uses for sextortion, fraud, harassment, and other forms of abuse were obvious from the start. Meta cannot keep rolling out dangerous products and only pulling them back when public outrage becomes too loud to ignore.
“Safety must be built in, not bolted on after public backlash. This is the latest example of why the Senate must pass the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) with a strong Duty of Care that requires platforms to design products with safety in mind from the outset,” said McNamara.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is on NCOSE’s 2026 Dirty Dozen List of mainstream contributors to sexual exploitation.
About National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE)
Founded in 1962, the National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) is the leading national non-profit organization exposing the links between all forms of sexual exploitation such as child sexual abuse, prostitution, sex trafficking and the public health harms of pornography.
To schedule an interview with NCOSE, please contact press@ncose.com.
