Instagram’s new Map feature is a massive privacy disaster

The product designers in the Snapchat ideation room are rolling their eyes again. Last week, Instagram rolled out reposting capabilities, a Friends tab in reels, and — a drumroll for controversy, please — a familiar-looking map that shares a user’s location.

Essentially a ‘take two’ on its since-discontinued 2012 Photo Maps feature, Instagram created its own version of the Snap Map that lets you share your location with friends, family members, or particular followers. Despite the feature being “off by default,” it’s allegedly showing up as automatic for some users. Besides privacy concerns, Instagram’s pivot back to a location-centered feature isn’t just a bad idea, it’s completely irrelevant.

Instagram is copying Snapchat (again)

Do better, Meta

Back in 2016, while everyone was scrolling Vine and making their own Caveman Spongebob memes, Instagram was making a getaway with Snapchat’s secret formula: Stories. Just like Snapchat’s feature, Instagram Stories disappeared 24 hours after posting. In a baffling move, the feed-based social media platform didn’t even try to brand the feature with a different name. While the stolen goods didn’t stick the landing right away, Instagram Stories did pick up its own identity eventually and slowly became one of the app’s core attributes.

Fast-forward almost a decade, and Instagram performed the exact same heist (and lack of a unique name scheme) with its new Instagram Map feature. Perhaps it may take time for the location appeal to pick up like it did with Stories, but we already saw the 2012 Photo Maps flop after four long years back in the 2010s. Besides, stealing one feature was bad, and it isn’t a good look for Meta to rip-off Snapchat a second time.

Maps doesn’t make sense for Instagram

You’re drifting out of your lane

Instagram is the platform where users go to consume content at a lower engagement rate. You typically scroll your post timeline, get caught in an endless trail of Reels, and send and receive media (posted by other accounts) between friends and family. Occasionally, you’ll make a post yourself or be featured in a post by someone else — the same goes for Stories. The emphasis is on community, aesthetics, and viral content from people you might not even know. People tend to follow acquaintances, influencers, or even someone they met at a party in 2017 just once — it’s a much more diverse and casual platform that feels more ‘shout into the void’ than talk across the kitchen table.

In contrast, Snapchat is much more intimate. It’s primarily used for more private, real-time communication with a specific person or group, and the app has always been more of a direct communication tool than a social media platform. In fact, I would actually argue that the Story feature does better on Instagram nowadays than Snapchat. However, I’ll stand by when I say this: the Map feature should remain a Snapchat exclusive. Why?

The Snap Map complements Snapchat’s conversational core — if you’re already in direct conversation with someone and want to know where they are, it’s become intuitive to slide over to see where their Bitmoji is on the map. It’s comparable to clicking on someone’s contact in iMessage to see their location on Find my Friends in iOS.

Snapchat is basically texting (with photos and videos) and maintaining close-knit or consistent connections. The Snap Map reinforces such connections. But location features aren’t relevant to Instagram’s model and definitely do not complement its timeline-based feed. In fact, the feature is relatively hidden and doesn’t scream ‘use me’ at the top of the screen like Stories did during its debut.

I have a feeling most of the people who use Instagram Map won’t even know it’s on — especially if rumors of it automatically being enabled are grounded in truth.

Privacy concerns

Users don’t “understand” the feature

First things first, Instagram Map is an opt-in feature, so it’s not supposed to be “on” by default. However, some users have reported that their location is actually being shared without opting in, and are sounding the alarm via Threads. The head of Instagram, Adam Mosseri, replied to posts flagging the issue and tried to reassure some users that his team was “double checking everything” and that people are “confused” about how the Map works. As counter-replies flood in, it appears to be some of that confusion on both sides.

If you open the Map feature, the first prompt you’ll see will ask who you want to share your location with. You can choose between Friends, Close Friends, Only these Friends, or No One. Anyone with privacy concerns will typically choose No One. I think it’s important that all users should double-check their preferences — just in case it is an issue on the backend.

Should this issue be on the back end, one of my major concerns (echoed by others across social media) is if this feature is enabled without someone knowing, simply going on the app can update and share their location on Instagram. Because Instagram is a more casual platform where mutuals often follow each other without being close acquaintances, some users might have just had their location put on blast and leaked to people they didn’t approve of having it — even their home address. And since the feature drop was somewhat quiet, many less tech-savvy users may not even know that it’s being shared.

This is actually dangerous for so many different reasons, but if someone is a victim of stalking or other dangerous behavior, it quite literally puts out a ping on where they are. It gives malicious parties not just information, but an opportunity to ‘run into’ someone in the wild. It’s not safe, and if it’s true that some users see it already enabled rather than defaulted to be off, Meta will have more than a major problem on its hands.