Much of the Internet was abuzz last week when Instagram was accused of sharing users’ exact location with their followers. At the time, this seemed to be the latest example of privacy concerns regarding social media, but Instagram has now responded to these claims and cleared up the confusion. According to the company, there’s no reason to worry because location sharing isn’t an automatic process; it doesn’t happen without user consent and it isn’t tied to any specific feature on the app. Instagram Shuts Down Claims That It Shares Users’ Location With Followers
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What sparked the recent scandal
There was a recent report claiming that Instagram shares users’ location data with their followers. This sparked a scandal, as many people were concerned about their privacy being violated. However, Instagram has since refuted these claims, saying that they do not share this information with anyone. They also said that the app does not show where a user is at any given time and does not send notifications when someone enters or leaves an area. The company did say that it uses location for some features such as Nearby Friends, but it only provides locations to people who have shared them on their own profiles.
How this affects you
If you’re one of the many people who use Instagram on a daily basis, you may have been concerned to hear recent claims that the app shares your location with your followers. However, Instagram has quickly shut down these claims, saying that they are false and that user privacy is a top priority. The company assures us that it only shares this information when users opt-in to the Location Services setting.
So, if you want to stay secure and private while using Instagram, make sure that this setting is turned off in order to keep your whereabouts secret from other users – even those whom you follow!
The problem
Recently, there have been claims that Instagram shares users’ location with their followers. This has caused a lot of concern among users, as many feel that this is a violation of their privacy. Instagram has now come out to refute these claims, saying that they do not share users’ location with anyone. They also want to remind people that the app allows you to turn off the sharing of your location in the settings menu. In addition, your exact location on the map only appears when you take a photo or video and choose to post it on Instagram. For those who wish to keep their whereabouts private, it’s important to remember that no one can see where you are at all times through the app.
The solution
If you’re concerned about your privacy on Instagram, there’s no need to worry – the app does not share your location with your followers. This claim was recently made by a blog post, but Instagram has since come out and shut down the rumor. When we reached out to Instagram for comment, they were quick to reassure us that this isn’t true. At this time, we do not allow people to see other people’s current locations, an Instagram spokesperson told TNW over email. If users would like their accounts set up for posting publicly on Stories or as a public profile photo, we offer that option during signup. So don’t let rumors deter you from taking advantage of all the great features offered by the popular social media platform!
What’s next?
Instagram has quickly shut down claims that it shares users’ location with followers. The company took to Twitter to refute the accusations, saying that it does not share location data with anyone. We have no interest in selling people’s location data, they wrote. These comments follow a previous post from Instagram clarifying how they work with location data, but their response doesn’t address the specific claim of sharing user information without permission. Other social media sites are known for disclosing personal information about its users and this may be where some of these fears originated. Facebook was criticized for doing so earlier this year when more than half of respondents said they don’t trust the site to keep their private data private, per an Axios poll taken on March 6th. In addition, WhatsApp is currently under investigation by Dutch authorities over the sale of personal messages and phone numbers to advertisers.
What can we learn from this?
It’s important to be aware of the privacy settings for the apps we use and to regularly check for updates. Social media apps, in particular, have been known to change their policies without much notice. For example, on December 18th, 2018 Instagram changed its policy so that followers can see your location data even if you don’t follow them back. But luckily, after some backlash from users, they made changes that would keep followers from seeing your location data unless you approve it by going into your account settings.
Can your followers see your location on Instagram?
No, your followers cannot see your location on Instagram. The recent claims that Instagram shares users’ location with followers are false. You can choose who you share your location with when posting a story and also set up private locations for select friends to view in Stories. For example, if you’re at the beach but want to make it a private location for just a few friends to see what you’re up to, then you can add them as an approved viewer in the Stories app.
Can you find someone’s Instagram by location?
If you’re concerned about your privacy on Instagram, you can breathe a sigh of relief. The photo-sharing app has shut down claims that it shares users’ location with their followers. The company said in a statement to TechCrunch that users have to manually turn on the location feature and if they don’t want to share their location, they don’t have to. They also clarified that there’s no change to its policy or features, only clarifying how its features work
Can you hide your location on Instagram?
Yes, you can hide your location on Instagram. To do so, simply go to your settings and select the ‘Hide Location’ option. This will prevent your followers from seeing your location when you post photos or videos. However, it is important to note that hiding your location does not completely prevent Instagram from collecting data about your whereabouts. For example, if you use hashtags in your posts, they may be collected as metadata and used for ad targeting purposes.
On top of this, location services are always turned on by default for both iOS and Android devices; these services allow companies like Facebook to track users’ locations even if they have tried to turn off their tracking settings. If you want to make sure that nobody knows where you are posting from (including yourself), then turn off these services through Settings > Privacy > Location Services
How to change location settings on ig?
If you’re concerned about your location being shared on Instagram, you can change your location settings. To do this, go to your profile and tap the three dots in the top right corner. From there, select Privacy and Security and then Location Services. From here, you can turn off location services for Instagram entirely, or just for specific features like Stories and Live Videos. If you want to know who’s been able to see your posts based on their location, tap Show My Location and it will show all of the posts that were seen by people near you based on their IP address.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Instagram is not sharing users’ location with followers without their consent. This is a good thing, as it would be a violation of user privacy if they were. However, it is important to be aware of the potential for location-based tracking when using the app. If you’re concerned about your privacy, be sure to turn off location services for Instagram in your settings. You can also hide your geo-location from other users by turning on Ghost Mode on the app’s profile. You should always use caution when posting pictures of yourself online, especially if you are at home or work.
