How to Make Sure Instagram Doesn’t Share Your Location With All Your Friends
This week, Instagram launched a new feature called Map , which allows users to share their last active location with their followers. Within about five minutes, a scandal erupted. Many netizens were quick to criticize the feature for its lack of regard for user safety, while others posted warnings that they apparently had the feature turned on automatically. “Why did one of my followers DM me that they could see my exact location while I was sleeping at home?” is not the kind of hype you want if you use Instagram.
The good news is that this feature is probably not set to turn on automatically. The bad news is that you’ve probably already shared your location on a map without realizing it, just not in the way you intended.
Instagram says it doesn’t enable automatic detection of your current location
Despite claims to the contrary, Instagram is adamant that this feature is entirely opt-in: unless you give Instagram permission to share your location with your followers, it allegedly won’t do so. What’s more, even if the feature is enabled, it won’t be available to all your followers. In the worst case, it could share the information with all your friends , meaning followers you also follow. If you’re a content creator, you won’t share your location with followers unless you follow them yourself.
Of course, that doesn’t mean the company did the right thing. There are likely two reasons why people feel Instagram is sharing their real-time location without their permission. First, the feature is probably too easy to turn on. Some users might see the feature, open it out of curiosity, and unknowingly share their location with some or all of their followers with just a few taps. I’m looking at the settings now, and even though it says “Clear,” it worries me that I’m only a tap or two away from sharing my location with all my friends.
Second, users may confuse the various features of the Instagram map with real-time location. In addition to sharing your every move with your followers, the map can also show your location-tagged posts and videos . Even if you choose not to share your location, if you tag a restaurant in a post about last night’s dinner, that post will appear on the map for your followers. This will make it seem like your location is being displayed in real time, even though it’s not. This is the theory that Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, shared on Threads , explaining why some users who don’t subscribe to the feed think their location is still displayed on the map.
With all due respect, Mr. Mosseri, it makes perfect sense that people would not know that their geotagged posts would be published on a map, even though such a feature did not exist at the time those posts were added.
PR nightmare
I wonder if Instagram really didn’t see this backlash coming? Maybe they looked at other platforms like Snapchat’s Snap Map or Apple’s Find My and decided, “Why not us?” But in my opinion, Meta’s reputation for user privacy is deservedly zero. It’s only logical that any self-aware Meta executive would expect criticism.
I can believe that the company might not have thought through the difference between sharing real-time location data and geotagging — users seeing a geotag-based post on a map thought, “Wait, am I sharing my location? I didn’t agree!” But, Meta, you’re rolling out a feature that shows people’s locations on a map the same week that a jury found that you secretly stole Flo users’ menstrual cycle data to target them with ads. Your reputation here is terrible, and this feature is confusing. Sure, these users were sharing the location of where their photos were taken, but now that data is being mapped with no clear explanation.
Instagram states that the location only updates when you open the app, and that it will disappear after 24 hours of inactivity. You can also set up to three “hidden places” that will automatically hide your location when you visit. But I’m not sure that will matter to most users, who now view the feature as a privacy disaster.
How to disable Instagram map
To be precise, unless you’ve explicitly turned on the feature, it’s probably not enabled. But here’s how to check: The Instagram map is available in your direct messages, at the top of the page. When you tap it, you’ll be prompted to share your location with your followers. Instagram immediately offers several options: Friends (followers you follow back); Close Friends (those on your Close Friends list); Only These Friends (lets you choose specific friends you want to share with); or No One. If you want to make sure you’re not sharing your current location, choose No One. (If you don’t see the map, the feature may not be available to you yet.)
If you want to take things a step further, you can disable location permissions for Instagram entirely. This won’t stop the app from tracking your location at any given time, since it can use your IP address to do so. (Cool, right?) But it will ensure that you can’t accidentally share your location on a map, and it will also block geotagging in posts. On iOS, you’ll find this option under Settings > Apps > Instagram > Location , where you’ll need to select Never. On Android, go to Settings > Location > App Location Permissions , select Instagram , and tap Deny.