Instagram introduces a feature to share your location and see where other users post content. Useful, but what about privacy?
Instagram has introduced the “Map” function, which allows you to share your location and see where other users post geolocalized content, such as tagged stories or reels. Social media presents novelty as a way to stay connected, find out what’s happening nearby or meet “casually”: ideas that sound good, but which highlight a thin line between usefulness and invasion of privacy. Meta states that sharing is off by defaulti.e. that the map does not show the location until you activate it, but many users complain that some signals, such as initial warnings that are not very visible and implicit permissions of the device, have made the use of the function unclear.
PRO… But let’s go in order: by activating the function, you allow your “last active position” to be viewed by selected friends, while geolocalized stories appear on the map for 24 hours, but it remains unclear how precisely this data is stored (or how frequently updated) during inactive periods.
Among the advantages there is certainly the fact that the map can make Instagram more “alive” and useful for those who love to explore, learning about local events, profiles in their vicinity and perhaps establishing new collaborations. For digital creators, appearing on the map can mean having additional visibility, especially if they get used to using place tags or produce content linked to the territory.
… And Cons. But there is no shortage of risks. For starters, your last active location can indicate the area you are in, potentially even your address, if repeated frequently, and in these cases, vulnerable groups, such as minors, people with a history of abuse, or in difficult relationships, could find themselves exposed to stalking or unwanted attention.
Controls. However, there is a “Hide places” function (Hide Places) which allows you to hide specific locations, such as your home or other sensitive places, by choosing a security radius around a point. Instagram also explained that two consents are needed: one to activate the map, a second to choose who can see the position (relatives, close friends, personalized list).
The geolocalized stories that appear on the map last 24 hours, but only if the user has manually added a location tag, otherwise they do not appear. Furthermore, the updated position is not geolocalized every moment, but is activated only when the app is in use or if it is reactivated after being in the background. In addition, Meta provides parental controls: teen accounts send notifications to parents if they enable sharing and they can choose whether or not to disable the option.
How to Deactivate. From an operational point of view, to decide not to appear on the map, you need to intervene on two levels. First of all, in the Map section (accessed from one of the bars at the top, in the messages section) you will find the settings icon (top right) where you can select “closest friends”, “only these friends” or “none”.
After that, in the device settings you can also revoke location access permission for Instagram, considering that when the app cannot access GPS in the background, “live” sharing is deactivated anyway.
A piece of advice. Periodically check whether the settings are retained after any app updates, because changes to the policies or interface often introduce new options or change the permissions methods.
Finally, if you use location tags on stories or reels, just remember that these tags could make the content appear on the map even if the active location is not shared, so avoiding geographic tags can be a useful choice for those who care about privacy.
