When Meta decided to launch its new AI assistant under the name Muse, it didn't go looking for an unclaimed handle.
It took one.
The band Muse, a group that has sold over 20 million albums, headlined Glastonbury, and built a global following over three decades, found their @muse Instagram account reassigned to Meta's AI product without negotiation, without compensation, and without any meaningful process to contest it.
They are now @museband.
Meta is @muse.
That tells you everything you need to know about who actually owns your digital identity in 2026.
This is not a fringe case or an administrative error we are talking about here, it's a demonstration of how platforms have quietly built legal and operational frameworks that treat usernames as corporate infrastructure rather than user property, and how that framework can be deployed against anyone, including entities with registered trademarks, global brand recognition, and legitimate prior…
LENDZ
