Concerns Over Instagram’s New Location Sharing Feature

Privacy advocates are raising alarms about Instagram’s latest location sharing feature, arguing that it may expose sensitive user data and potentially pose safety risks.

On Monday, Instagram, which is owned by Meta, announced the launch of an interactive map. According to the company, location sharing is disabled by default unless users actively opt in. Users can customize it by excluding specific individuals and locations, and they can deactivate it whenever they wish. Additionally, parents will receive notifications if their teens start sharing their location, as mentioned in the announcement.

Instagram describes this tool as a way for users to discover tagged content in interesting locations shared by friends and creators. It indicates that the location data is updated every time the app is opened or brought back from the background.

However, critics are pointing out that this could be problematic.

Lia Haberman, who writes a social media newsletter, noted that Meta has a poor history regarding data privacy, suggesting that user data has often been treated like a “golden goose” for advertising purposes—sometimes not always ethically or legally, she remarked.

Haberman expressed concern that users might not fully grasp the extent of the access granted on Instagram, emphasizing that location could be disclosed through tagging or simply by opening the app.

Concerns were also voiced by some Republican officials back in 2024 when the map feature was initially proposed. Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn pointed out that Instagram was developing a “friend map” feature similar to that of Snapchat. She urged parents to take every precaution necessary to safeguard their children on social media, emphasizing the importance of not exposing real-time locations to individuals with harmful intentions.

Instagram’s head, Adam Mosseri, defended the new feature in a post, mentioning that it allows sharing with a select group of close friends and stating that he curates this list carefully. The feature accompanies a new “Friends” tab for reels, as well as options for reposting public content.

As of now, Meta has not responded to requests for further comments. A spokesperson reassured NBC News that the feature is off by default, and live locations will only be shared if the user opts in to do so.