Nevada attorney general joins call for stronger privacy on Instagram's new location-sharing tool

 

Nevada attorney general joins call for stronger privacy on Instagram's new location-sharing tool
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Attorney General Aaron D. Ford | Nevada Attorney General Office

Nevada Attorney General Aaron D. Ford has joined a bipartisan group of 37 attorneys general urging Instagram to improve privacy protections related to its new location-sharing feature. The coalition sent a letter to Instagram Head Adam Mosseri, raising concerns about the risks posed by displaying users’ precise locations on a map.

“Social media companies have a responsibility to their users to ensure they remain safe while using these platforms,” said AG Ford. "Tools such as this location-sharing feature have the capability to harm social media users, especially our children and other vulnerable populations. I urge Meta and Instagram to release this feature responsibly and to inform their userbase of the protections they can access.”

The letter highlights potential dangers for children and survivors of domestic violence, warning that location data could be misused by predators or stalkers. The attorneys general are asking Instagram to prevent minors from enabling location sharing, provide clear alerts explaining the risks and uses of location data for adults, and offer an easy way for adult users who opt in to disable the feature at any time.

The group emphasized that user safety should take precedence over product innovation, stating that these steps would protect privacy while allowing informed choices.

Protecting young people from online harms has been a priority for AG Ford’s office. Earlier in 2024, Nevada’s attorney general filed lawsuits against TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger over claims that their algorithms intentionally target teenagers’ vulnerabilities. In June 2025, another lawsuit was filed against YouTube—along with Google LLC and Alphabet Inc.—alleging that design choices made the platform addictive and harmful for youth.

Other states represented in the coalition include Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Maine, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina Oklahoma Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Texas Tennessee Utah Vermont Virginia West Virginia and Wyoming.

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