Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri and the Instagram social media team are refuting claims that the Instagram app is tracking location data and sharing it with followers looking for your exact location.
A post that went viral claimed that “a recent iOS update” meant that “people can now find their exact location from Instagram.” This led many people to go into their phone’s Instagram app settings and disable location permissions for the app.
Instagram’s communications Twitter posted about the viral post, clarifying what Instagram’s policies are on location data.
I wanted to share this 🧵 for clarity. Location Services is a device setting on your phone, not a new Instagram feature, and it powers things like location tags. We do not share your location with other people. https://t.co/6R6XMOCppj
— Adam Mosseri (@mosseri) August 25, 2022
People can manage Location Services through their device settings and tag locations in their posts if they want to share that information.
— Instagram Communications (@InstagramComms) August 25, 2022
Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri explains that Instagram’s device location powers location tagging features, but the app won’t pinpoint a user’s location to other people.
A viral Instagram post isn’t always the best place to find reliable information; information needs to be verified. The original post never mentioned whether that location feature was Instagram’s doing, instead referring to “a recent iOS update” with no basis.
If you are concerned that an app is using your location, you should disable it from your devices app settings. Both iOS and Android also offer options to share approximate location (rather than an exact point), and both can record historical logs of apps accessing location data.
Via | Viral post (updated title)
Source: www.gsmarena.com