By: Messiah Williams

An Instagram post has been circulating the internet claiming that the new Instagram update allows other users to “find your exact location” through this feature called “Precise Location.” 

This meme also says that this feature “is being used by individuals to target people to commit crimes including theft, stalking, etc.” This meme encouraged users to turn this new feature off in their iPhone or Android settings. But does this feature really do what this meme is suggesting?

Instagram took to Twitter when they noticed the viral post, in order to clear up the air. “To be clear, we don’t share your location with others. Similar to other social media companies, we use precise location for things like location tags and map features,” the company stated in a tweet last week. They also explained how Precise Location isn’t even a new feature unveiled with the new iOS update, and that it has actually been available since iOS 14 in 2020. And similar apps like Snapchat and Twitter use the feature as well for location tags.

Although Instagram won’t give out your exact location to criminals, they are required by law to give all location data to authorities in the case of a crime. The feature does have the ability to obtain your precise location, but only if you make a post.