The English rock band Muse recently lost control of its usernames on social networks; those names are now in the hands of “Muse,” Meta’s newest artificial intelligence agent. Although the exact details of how these accounts were transferred are not yet clear, the incident has once again raised serious questions about Meta’s and other big tech platforms’ power to reclaim desired usernames.
From @muse to @museband; where did it start?
According to available information, the band Muse, which according to its official sources registered its trademark in 1999 (1378 in the Iranian calendar), had for years used the username “@muse” on Instagram and X. But in early summer this year, the band’s fans noticed that their Instagram username had been changed to “@museband” without any explanation.
Independent reported that this change occurred in July, although some Reddit users say they had observed it since early June.
Meta’s official unveiling and the start of ambiguities
On Tuesday, Meta officially unveiled its new AI agent named “Muse,” an agent that from the start began operating under the handle “@Muse.” Interestingly, the band Muse had previously used the same handle on X, but now on that platform it is also known by the username “@museband.”
The exact timing of this switch is still unclear, but evidence suggests the matter has caused some confusion. For example, according to Mike Isaac, a technology reporter for The New York Times, Mark Zuckerberg’s initial posts about the Muse AI agent mistakenly tagged the band’s account. He said other senior Meta executives also repeated the same mistake in their early posts, which Isaac described as a “bug.”
Fans’ reaction and Meta’s silence
Although full details of the incident have not yet been revealed, some Muse fans have expressed displeasure about the band’s name being used for an AI product. Independent noted in its report that many of the band’s songs focus on “fears and concerns related to technology and its potential use for social repression,” a fact that has made this naming choice feel more contradictory to fans.
Meta has so far not responded to requests for comment, and representatives of the band Muse have remained silent on the matter.
A recurring history of username takeovers
This is not the first time that an Instagram account has been suspiciously transferred around the time Meta announced a new product or brand.
For example, shortly after Facebook changed its name to Meta in 2021 (1400 in the Iranian calendar), the company gained control of the username “@Meta,” which had previously belonged to an independent motorcycle magazine. The magazine’s editor at the time, without making a formal accusation, likened the incident to “a punch to the heart,” since that name had been the magazine’s media identity since 2014 (1393). The magazine ultimately had to change its name.
Another similar case dates back to Meta’s launch of the Threads app in 2023 (1402). At the time of the app’s introduction, the username “@threads” belonged to a small clothing store called American Threads, but only a month later that handle suddenly ended up with Meta.
Official policy versus field reality
Meta has not provided a clear explanation about how these transfers occur. In 2021, the company stated it had not taken any legal action or made threats against the motorcycle magazine, but it dodged the question of whether any money had been paid to the publisher. A Meta spokesperson at the time only said: “We allow users to change their usernames on Instagram.”
According to Meta’s official rules, buying, selling, or trading Instagram usernames is not permitted; however, evidence shows that popular usernames are sometimes handed over through unclear and nontransparent methods.
Now it’s X’s turn
The phenomenon is not limited to Instagram. Users on the X platform have also repeatedly lost popular usernames through unofficial means. For example, the person who controlled the username “@X” before the company was acquired by Elon Musk was informed by email in 2023 that the handle would be taken from them; though according to that person, they were offered goods in exchange.
In the same year, the username of a person who had used the handle “@music” since 2007 (1386) was also suddenly changed so that the username could be made an official X account.
Recently X has launched an “official username marketplace” so users can purchase inactive usernames through a transparent and legal process; an action that may help reduce such controversies in the future.