The One Instagram Setting Everyone Should Check Today

A rumor about Instagram and AI-generated photos is making the rounds and like most viral cybersecurity claims, the truth is more nuanced than the headline. In this episode of SipCyber, Jen Lotze pulls into Barista's Daily Grind in Kearney, NE, mid-road-trip to her chosen family's annual Red Rocks Amphitheater tradition, to unpack what Meta's AI image feature actually does with your public Instagram content and what it doesn't. 

Over a S'mores iced latte that tastes like a campfire (in the good way), Jen draws a parallel between the trust built one shared drink at a time in a concert parking lot and the trust we hand over — often without noticing — every time we post something public online. The takeaway isn't "stop sharing." It's "know what you're leaving behind." 

Key Topics Covered: 

• What Meta's AI image feature does with public Instagram content — and what it doesn't touch 
• Why "AI is stealing your photos" headlines often skip the important details 
• The difference between your private photo library and content you've made public 
• A simple settings check to see how your public content can be reused 
• Why understanding the details matters more than reacting to the loudest headline 

This isn't about fear; it's about intention. The same instinct that makes a shared drink in a parking lot turn into a decade-long community can also be part of building a safer digital footprint, one informed choice at a time. 

Featured Coffee Shop: Barista's Daily Grind, Kearney, NE 

☕️ Jen's Order: S'mores Iced Latte 

Don't let a viral headline do your thinking for you. Subscribe for weekly cybersecurity tips delivered from coffee shops across the country, and share this with someone who's never checked their Instagram sharing settings. 

#Cybersecurity #Instagram #AI #MetaAI #DigitalPrivacy #DataPrivacy #SocialMediaSafety #PrivacySettings #InfoSec #CyberSafety #SipCyber 

Transcript

Jen Lotze 0:04

Hey there, coffee lovers and internet explorers. Welcome back to Subcyber, where I'm on a quest for two things the perfect cup of coffee and the simplest way to keep your digital life safe. There are coffee shops you remember because the coffee was good. And then there are coffee shops you remember because they became part of your story. Barista's Daily Grind in Kearney, Nebraska will always be that place for me. We were still hours away from Colorado. The excitement had already settled in, and every mile brought us closer to one of my favorite traditions of the year. I ordered S'more's ice latte. The first sip stopped me in my tracks. Chocolate, toasted marshmallow, a hint of graham cracker. It tasted like a campfire. In like a good way, not burn your face off way. Long summer evenings, the anticipation of something that you've been looking forward to for months. It tasted like every bit of summer wrapped up into one cup. And as I sat there enjoying that latte, I couldn't help but smile because I knew exactly where we were headed. Every summer, our chosen family gathers at Red Rock Samphitheater in Colorado for three nights with the Avett Brothers. Years ago, the tradition started with something wonderfully simple. We packed a few cases of spotted cow from Wisconsin to share with the people tailgating around us before the show. That's just what you do in the Midwest. We sit in parking lots and we share beer. Someone says, Wanna try one? Someone else reaches into their cooler and offers something from Michigan or Kansas or Texas or New Orleans or wherever they call home. Before you know it, strangers are introducing themselves, stories are being told. People are laughing like they've known each other for years. And that little parking lot tradition has grown into a community of nearly 500 people. Every year we reunite. We catch up on life changes, new babies, new jobs, and life's up and ups and downs. Then we spend three nights singing with the people who started out as strangers and somehow became our chosen family. Communities like that don't happen overnight. Trust grows one conversation at a time, one shared experience, the love of one band, one summer after another. And as we got back on Interstate I-80, I found myself thinking about another place where we leave lots of pieces of ourselves behind. Not in that parking lot, not over a cup of coffee, but online. This week I saw a post making the rounds on social media claiming Instagram was letting people use your photos to generate AI images of you. And like most posts about cybersecurity that you find on the internet, it grabbed attention because it sounded alarming. The truth is actually a little more nuanced. Meta has introduced an AI image feature that can use content from public Instagram accounts. If someone references a public Instagram account, Meta's AI can generate new images inspired by that public content. For eligible public accounts, the features rolling out is enabled by default, meaning it's automatically turned on. Now, that doesn't mean strangers suddenly have access to every photo that you've ever taken. It doesn't give them access to your private photo library. However, it applies to content that you've already chosen to share publicly. That's an important distinction. Cybersecurity isn't about reacting to the loudest headline, it's about understanding the details. Our red route tradition didn't become meaningful overnight. It grew because people intentionally shared a little piece of themselves and a little piece of their home. A favorite drink from home, a conversation, a story, sharing one of the best parts of being human. Until we forget that we're sharing. Photos, locations, habits, relationships. And as AI becomes more capable, all of those public pieces can be used in ways we may not have imagined when we first posted them. That brings me to one small step that helps. Take a minute to check your Instagram settings. Even if you think your account is private, which it very well may be, open your profile, tap the three lines in the top right corner, and then look for sharing and reuse. Review whether your posts and reels can be used with Meta's AI features. If that's not something you want, turn it off. If you own a business or in leadership or really work at all, spend a few minutes reviewing what your team shares publicly, what your company shares publicly. Are there leadership pictures, office layouts, event photos, and behind-the-scenes moments that all help tell your story? Those moments are really helpful for you to tell that story, but they can also be really helpful for our threat actors. Just because they're telling the story that you intend them to take, they also become part of your organization's digital footprint. By the time we crossed into Colorado, the ice in my coffee had melted, the latte was gone, but the taste of summer stayed with me. And so did the reminder that the best things in life are meant to be shared. A favorite coffee shop, a local beverage from home, three nights of music with people who've become my family. Our information isn't one of them. We don't have to stop sharing. We just have to be intentional about what we leave behind. So thanks for joining me on this trip to Barista's Daily Grind in Kearney, Nebraska, and for taking a small step to secure a digital life. Until then, stay safe, stay human, and keep zipping.