After the new grid layout update, Instagram has once again come up with a location-sharing feature that garnered frowns from its users as it risks their privacy and safety.
With this location-sharing feature, a user’s location is easily visible to their followers, which poses the risk of unwanted tracking, even if these followers are trusted people. Location is such a crucial part of one’s privacy and it should be consensual if one agrees to share such details. With this new update, followers can visibly look for the specific location of a user laid out on a map as well as in their feed and chat messaging.
Instagram has also laid out options on whom the user chooses to share their location with, whether with all of their followers, mutual friends, or selected accounts. Once a user allows the app to access location settings, “precise location updates” will be made available every time the Instagram app is in use.
Meanwhile, even if a user decides to turn off location services, the app claims, “We use things like your IP address to estimate your general location.” Despite these laid out options, Instagram clearly still has access to one’s location as they claim that it will be used to also “personalize content.”
With rising concerns about their online privacy, social media users have expressed their disconcertment over the new update and are quick to remind everyone to be vigilant about managing privacy settings.
turn your locations to invisible mode on ig juskowwww kaloka ka meta mapapahamak pa mga tao sa trip niyo pic.twitter.com/34u0kV3Ev8
— 𝙠𝙖𝙞 (@kairangelica) January 26, 2025
This is a good instagram map location feature but NOT SAFE! Please choose your mutual friends na makakakita ng location niyo. Andaming creepy people na hindi nyo alam pwede niyo ika-pahamak. pic.twitter.com/jGmBsMfjTQ
— Aldrin kitsune (@aldrinkitsune) January 26, 2025
I hope everyone is aware of the risks that could come with Instagram’s new update. Imagine exposing your location just like that… scary.
— AJ Sison (@_ajsison) January 26, 2025
everyone dont use the instagram feature of sharing your location, what happened to self preservation 😭
— PHIA JANE (@PH1AJANE) January 26, 2025
with the ig's new map sharing update, i wish for everyone to be careful of sharing their locations. you can get in danger because you're sharing it not just with your irls, but with mutuals who are literal strangers to you.
stay safe, stay vigilant !
— Musubi (@musub_iii) January 26, 2025
Instagram sharing your location with everyone was my 13th reason why I’m about to delete that app fr
— Atyana💋 (@Atyana___) January 27, 2025
the new ig update pisses me off because it defaults to sharing your location immediately like none of you need to know where i am or where my house is
— ghia 🦦 (@ghiahong) January 26, 2025
The scary part is that sometimes people didn’t notice that they did.
This is very intrusive and just because shared yung use of location with IG, walang request for explicit consent to share to followers or mutuals.@PrivacyPH https://t.co/6QrDPnFxNs
— ☁️ Pierce Jono ☁️ (@piercetayo) January 27, 2025
When opting not to share location, at the Instagram message tab, locate the map icon beside the notes area. Once a pop-up appears asking to share location, choose “not now” or toggle the invisible mode to hide location from other followers. To further safeguard your location privacy, navigate through your phone’s settings app, go to the privacy tab, locate Instagram, and customize what type of location access you would want to grant the app.
As social media become an integral part of communication and interaction, it is crucial to remain vigilant especially when various applications, such as the case of Instagram, subject users to terms and conditions that might not be agreeable on the user’s end. Privacy, especially in terms of location, should never be endangered especially without a user’s consent.
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