Georgia is leading the way in urging Instagram to strengthen location privacy protections. Attorney General Chris Carr was joined by a bipartisan coalition of 37 attorneys general in sending a letter to Instagram asking for immediate changes to its newly implemented location-sharing feature, which he says allows a user’s precise location to be displayed on a map.
“In Georgia, we have taken action to protect our children from predators and human traffickers,” said Carr. “Now, we’re asking the tech industry to work with us by imposing commonsense measures that will empower parents and keep kids safe online.”
The letter – which was sent to Instagram Head Adam Mosseri – outlines serious public safety and data privacy concerns with the recent change. Carr said the coalition also emphasizes the heightened dangers for vulnerable users, including children and survivors of domestic violence. He added that such tools can be exploited by predators, stalkers, and other malicious actors.
The letter calls on Instagram to ensure that minors cannot enable location-sharing features. It also urges Instagram to send a clear alert to all adult users explaining the feature, outlining its risks, and providing full disclosure on how Instagram will use the location data. The coalition is also asking Instagram to provide a simple, easy-to-access control to disable location sharing at any time for adults who choose to opt in.
Carr said the attorneys general stressed that Meta and Instagram must prioritize user safety over product novelty and that implementing these measures will protect user privacy while allowing informed adults to choose whether to share their location.
