Bhathiya Barukanda
Instagram has rolled out a Snap Maps-like feature for U.S. users, and it may soon arrive in Sri Lanka. This feature will enable social media users to share their real-time location with friends and view theirs on a live map. You can access it from the Messages tab, but rest assured, location sharing is off by default unless you turn it on manually.
Privacy concerns around location sharing
While location sharing can be useful for planning get-togethers or checking where your friends are, it also raises serious privacy concerns. From targeted advertising to potential stalking and misuse in abusive relationships, users must be careful about enabling it.
Instagram has added strong privacy controls, allowing you to choose who sees your location. You can share with:
- All followers you follow back
- Close friends only
- Selected people
- Or no one at all
Importantly, users must note that their location updates every time they open the app and disappear after 24 hours if not refreshed.
What do the icons on Instagram Maps mean?
- Blue Arrow: You are sharing your location.
- Red Dot: You are not sharing your location.
- Orange Triangle: Location permissions are turned off on your device.
Even if you are not sharing your location, you can still see others’ shared locations on the Map.
How to turn off location sharing on Instagram
Want to protect your privacy on Instagram? Then users will have to follow these steps:
- Open Instagram
- Tap the arrow icon (top right) to go to Messages
- Tap on the Map at the top of your inbox
- Tap the settings gear icon (top right)
- Choose your location sharing preferences
- Tap on ‘Update’ to save
You can also exclude specific people even if you’ve enabled sharing with a wider group.
Parental controls for teens
For parents, Instagram is enabling supervision over teens’ location sharing. Parents will be notified if location sharing is turned on, and can see who their child is sharing it with.
source:indiatvnews.com
