Disney-focused content creator Cat, known online as @catonmainstreet_, says a third-party pin-trading app, Pin Trading - Scan & Collect, used an AI-altered version of her likeness in a Facebook advertisement that made her olive skin look lighter and changed several facial features without her consent.
In a video shared on TikTok and Instagram on Friday, 18 September 2026, the Hispanic creator said the image also added freckles, lightened her dark features, changed her nose and removed the gap between her front teeth.
Cat said the changes were made despite an AI prohibition clause she had provided before the collaboration. 'I don't need lighter skin. I don't need perfect teeth. I don't need a smaller nose. I don't need a different version of me to be marketable,' she said.
Creator Says AI Changed Her Skin Tone and Face
Cat said she had previously worked with Pin Trading - Scan & Collect, an app for identifying, valuing and organising Disney pins.
She showed followers what she described as her original promotional video alongside a screenshot of the Facebook advertisement, saying the altered version kept recognisable elements including her tattoos, custom-made ears and outfit while changing her appearance.
'Those are my features. I am Hispanic. I love my olive skin. I love my dark features,' she said.
Watch here: Cat explains why she ended her relationship with the pin-trading app and shows the original and allegedly AI-altered versions of the ad.
The app is not an official Walt Disney Company product. Apple's App Store lists Evergreen Apps, LLC as the provider of Pin Trading - Scan & Collect, which advertises a database of more than 150,000 Disney pins.
AI Clause Becomes Central to the Dispute
Cat said the clause she provided before the collaboration prohibited AI use in connection with the work. She also apologised to followers who may have seen the advertisement and believed she had approved the changes, saying she 'would never authorise someone to change my skin tone or my ethnic features for marketing purposes'.
Cat said the company offered compensation after she raised concerns about the advertisement, but described the amount as extremely small and rejected the proposal. According to Cat, the explanation referenced the limited time the ad had run and characterised the situation as a misunderstanding.
She said the issue was not simply the amount offered or how long the advertisement appeared, but the alteration of features she considers part of her identity. The company said it did not instruct anyone or any system to alter Cat's ethnicity or facial features.
In a statement dated 20 September, Pin Trading - Scan & Collect said Meta's Advantage+ Creative Standard Enhancements had been automatically enabled across its advertising campaigns and generated derivative versions of its creatives. The company acknowledged that it failed to properly review the feature and the advertisements it produced.
The company also disputed how the compensation discussions were characterised. It said Cat had asked how it intended to address compensation for additional usage and that her attorney later sent an $85,000 pre-suit settlement demand.
Cat's subsequent statement said her legal concerns involved multiple alleged violations rather than only the altered advertisement.
Creator Says Legal Dispute Goes Beyond One Ad
In a follow-up Instagram statement on Monday, 21 September, Cat said her legal counsel had sent a demand addressing 'multiple alleged violations' and that no substantive response arrived before portions of the demand were shared publicly.
She said a public statement about the dispute focused mainly on one incident while her legal concerns extended further. Cat added that she would not share more evidence, correspondence or details until the legal matter is resolved.
Read here: Cat's full statement to her community about the ongoing legal dispute.
Cat's claims have not been tested in court, and the full scope of the dispute has not been made public. She nevertheless stood by speaking about the altered advertisement, writing: 'I stand by protecting my rights, my work, my likeness, and most importantly, my identity.' Cat said she is no longer associated with the app and plans to continue posting Disney, pin-trading and content about neurodivergence as herself.
