Overview

• Bipartisan senators Marsha Blackburn and Richard Blumenthal urged Meta to abandon the Instagram Map feature over privacy and child safety concerns.
• Meta says location sharing is off by default and requires explicit opt-in, with users able to restrict visibility to followers they follow back or a custom list.
• Users and privacy experts reported confusion when geotagged posts appeared on the map without clear opt-in consent.
• Instagram head Adam Mosseri pledged prompt design improvements to clarify controls and prevent unintended location sharing.
• Lawmakers are leveraging the reintroduced Kids Online Safety Act to demand either the feature’s shutdown or stronger guardrails for under-17 users.