Instagram Map Appears in Brazil, Meta Says Release Was Accidental

Overview

• The feature that showed users’ precise, current locations began appearing for some Brazilian accounts on Wednesday and was visible inside Instagram’s direct messages as a globe-labeled “Map.”
• Meta issued an apology, said the tool was made available accidentally, and has disabled the Map for users in Brazil while it works to correct the issue.
• Federal deputy Erika Hilton asked the Ministério Público Federal to suspend and investigate the feature, arguing it puts women, children and elderly people at risk of stalking, robbery and gender-based violence.
• The NGO CTRL+Z filed a formal complaint with the Ministry of Justice asking officials to probe possible breaches of consumer and data-protection rules and to demand details on who authorized the release and how many users, including minors, accessed the map.
• Critics point to interface choices that may nudge users to share location and to a 2025 U.S. rollout that drew objections from attorneys-general in 37 states, so regulators will likely focus on design, transparency and any real-world harms.