On Thursday, Instagram rolled out a new feature called the Instagram Map. The addition to the platform, which Meta announced on Wednesday, has people concerned—and angry—about potential safety concerns.
So what’s actually happening to your account, why is everyone up in arms, and can you opt out of the new addition? Here’s everything you need to know, in the latest edition of TL;DR.
Give me the TL;DR.
A new Instagram map feature that allows followers of your choice to see your location has people, but mainly women, concerned about the potential safety concerns.
Wait, I need more. What’s the background here?
On Wednesday, Meta announced new features coming to Instagram that the company says are meant to “help you better connect with your friends.” But it’s one in particular, a feature called Instagram Maps, that has raised eyebrows.
According to a press release on the new additions, the company sees the map feature as a way to “stay up-to-date with friends.” If you both opt-in to the feature and enable location sharing on Instagram, a group of people you select (followers you follow back, Close Friends, or only selected friends) will be able to see where you are on the map.
The map feature has already been rolled out on many accounts, and you can find it above your DMs if you have it. When you open it for the first time, the feature prompts you to choose who can see your location, either the groups above or “no one.” You also must then enable location sharing to be shown on the map.
Even if you aren’t sharing your location, you can still use the map to see where those you follow who are sharing are up to. It’s essentially like the “find my friends” function on Apple, but you can see people who choose to share publicly and when you click on your friend you’re directed to watch their Instagram Stories and other content.
“From checking out stories from friends who’ve gone to a concert or finding a new place to hang out from a local creator’s reel, there’s content to help you and your friends connect with the world around you,” says Meta in the release.
Why is there so much backlash?
People are not excited about this update, to say the least. Specifically, many women are expressing concern from a security point of view.
Simply put, the idea that followers on Instagram could know where you are at any given moment is an unsettling prospect for those who have experienced stalking or domestic violence.
Many women took to social media to speak out against the tech company for potentially putting safety at risk, and for introducing yet another way for people to be surveilled when they don’t need to be.
“I cannot express to you how dangerous this Instagram map is for women. It just so clearly illustrates how men in tech don’t consider women’s lives at all,” wrote one commenter on Threads.
