Instagram's new mapping feature has received criticism since its roll out. Now, attorneys general from across the U.S., including North Carolina, are raising a red flag.
This week, 37 attorneys general sent a letter to Instagram urging the social media app to make changes to the real-time location map feature, which allows users to share their location with others.
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They raised concerns over the risk for stalking, data collection and child exploitation.
“Our children’s safety comes first,” said North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson in a statement. “Instagram needs to do some clean up on its location-sharing feature so we can keep children and victims safe – and it needs to do so now.”
Jackson and others are calling on Instagram to ensure minors aren't allowed to opt in to location-sharing, send alerts to adult users explaining how their data will be used, and allow users an easy way to disable the feature.
An Instagram spokesperson told WRAL that Instagram Map's design addresses concerns raised by the attorneys general saying "it is off by default."
"Everyone receives a notification explaining what the feature entails and can turn it off whenever they want, and with parental supervision, parents get a notification if their teen starts using it and can block their access to location sharing at any time," an Instagram spokesperson said.
Durham-based cybersecurity expert Kimberly Simon said location sharing on social media comes with risks.
"Real-time location sharing turns social media from a scrapbook into a road map for strangers. So what feels like harmless location sharing can instantly turn your social media into a GPS for anyone watching," said Simon.
The attorneys general say the maps feature can pose a risk to vulnerable users like children or domestic violence survivors.
Simon encourages parents to talk with their children about safe social media use.
"Reminding children that when they post something in real time, whether they're at home or at school or at friend's house, what it does is it reveals patterns to the general public on where they go, what time they're usually there and those things are being tracked," she said.
This WRAL social media post shows how Instagram's map feature works and steps on how to turn it off.