After an accusation that Instagram shares the exact location of its usersthe social network has categorically denied this statement, indicating that this information does not correspond to reality.
Instagram denies that the location that is shared reaches a very high accuracy, being merely indicative
The accusation was based on the latest updates of the Instagram application for iOS and Android in which a button appears that allows you to activate and share with other users the exact location when posting or sharing a video.
Instagram clarifies that the function called “precise location” already appeared in iOS 14 in 2020 and in Android 12 in 2021 as a way to allow users of both operating systems to share their location with other users with greater precision.
This function allows more precisely define the location for services such as geolocation applications (Google Maps) or transportation services (Uber). Likewise, through different instant messaging platforms such as WhatsApp or Telegram, the location can be shared with the contacts.
The accusations about the activation on Instagram of this function were linked to a very detailed specification of the point from which a video is shared, being able to fix said location on a map. Something that was feared could be used for illicit or criminal purposes but that Instagram has denied through its official public communication account on Twitter.
👋 We’ve seen a meme going around about how Instagram uses “precise location.”
—Instagram Comms (@InstagramComms) August 25, 2022
To be clear, we do not share your location with others. Like other social media companies, we use precise location for things like tagging and mapping features.”
With that affirmation from Instagram it is clarified that they do not do anything that does not happen in other social networks, clarifying that location sharing accuracy is not as high enough to endanger users.
The director of Instagram, Adam Mosseri, citing the tweet u abovehas reiterated that the function associated with the location is not something that depends on the apps but on the operating systems of the mobile devices themselves, insisting they don’t share locations.